Chaosium and the University of Edinburgh’s History and Games Lab are bringing Lovecraftian horror to Stirling Castle. On 17 October 2026, the Great Hall will host The King’s Call – Cthulhu in Medieval Scotland, a live roleplaying game performance blending 11th-century history with cosmic dread.
The event is part of the UKRI-funded “A Viking in the Sun” project, which examines the era of Harald Hardrada between the late Viking Age and the eve of the Crusades. This international academic project uses creative performances to explore history. The Stirling Castle show expands on a partnership that recently saw the History and Games Lab and Chaosium stage a live event in Istanbul’s Cistern of Theodosius.
The promotional poster reveals a cast of established tabletop performers. The roster features Michael O’Brien, Jon Gracey, Viv Eagan, and Nick Brooke, alongside Mike Mason, who will run the session as the Keeper of Arcane Lore.
Despite the strict academic focus on the 11th century, the promotional text contains a minor discrepancy. Chaosium’s initial press release mentions a Renaissance setting, while the official event title and host venue explicitly ground the plot in Medieval Scotland.
Michael O’Brien, Vice President at Chaosium, said in a statement,
Join us next month in the Great Hall of historic Stirling Castle in Scotland, UK for a role-playing game performance set in Renaissance Scotland but with Lovecraftian horror and Viking twists…
Historic Environment Scotland is managing the venue and ticket sales.
Quick Links
Independently covering Scotland since 2010. Our archive includes 6 entries connected to this topic.
Latest entry: September 2026
