Title: Message
Fair usage includes reference to cultural icons. Cthulhu is a geek cultural
reference.
Thanks
Fred Poutre
Cloven Fruit Games
I
always understood that there was a certain amount of Public
Domain with Cthulhu. Lovecraft himself enthusiastically endorsed other
writers to expand upon the mythos and write within his world. Only certain
phrases and creations have been copyrighted by Chaosium, and for the most part
the whole issue of copyright was cocked up as he never stated in his will who
should control his work. Indeed, work earlier than, I believe, 1923 is Public
Domain (last I checked).
Also, aside from Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu (a scenario for which I'm
currently in the middle of working on even as I take time out to write, here)
and related card game, let's not forget other Cthulhu-inspired games such as
Cthulhu 500, Munchkin Cthulhu, Arkham Horror, Do You Worship Cthulhu?,
etc. I've even seen Cthulhu referenced quite blatantly in cartoons
without, I'm sure, any fear of reprisal. Such as in The Grim Adventures of
Billy & Mandy in which there was an episode entitled "The Prank Call
of Cthulhu".
So I
don't actually think there would be a particular problem for the most part on
the copyright front (so long as the terms or phrases that *have* been
copyrighted are avoided or, at the least, paraphrased). Enough of the key
ingredients that make up the mythos are free to make use of without any real
problems. Despite that, alas, I agree that Cthulhu Fluxx may well be a
pipe dream.