The Decline

Play to struggle - Only six pages of core rules for infinite cosmic horror!

The Decline is a lightweight toolkit for cosmic horror investigation, designed to work with any setting where ordinary humans confront supernatural threats. Whether you're exploring the shadowy corners of 1920s New England, operating as cogs in the machine of a modern-day government agency tracking paranormal phenomena, or running with a gang of monster hunters at the fringes of society, a concise six pages of core rules adapt to your chosen world.

The Decline focuses on the universal human experience of ordinary people pushed beyond their limits—the stress of maintaining normal relationships while pursuing impossible enemies, the psychological cost of witnessing things that shouldn't exist, and the inevitable downward spiral toward understanding truths too terrible for the human mind to grasp.

This is a game about people who investigate and hunt the supernatural. They might do this for money or duty or curiosity or a calling. Whatever it is... they really should stop... it is destroying them.

The Decline builds on the most excellent Cthulhu Dark by Graham Walmsley and Cthulhu Deep Green by Justin Ford. You should go and check them out.

Big Thanks to HaBaLes, Mr.BigToe, JakoboC and Double0Soul for their playtesting support and feedback.

Content and Design by Billy_Idle. AI was used for grammar, spelling, consistency checks, irritating remarks and running statistical analysis only.

Dead People Art for this one was contributed by Virgil Finlay and Hannes Bok.