The King In Yellow In 1980s Japan? Chaosium’s ‘Sutra Of Pale Leaves’ Will Visit Strange Aeons
Chaosium’s newly announced The Sutra of Pale Leaves crashes Cthulhu’s mythos headfirst into the excess and greed of the 1980s in Japan.
The 1980s were a decade defined by greed, consumption, and excess – which, thankfully, we’ve moved away from here in 2025, right? But add to the already strange decade the eldritch aura of Call of Cthulhu and then take it to Japan, and you’ll have Chaosium’s newly announced The Sutra of Pale Leaves – Twin Suns Rising.
Although it isn’t Cthulhu rising up in the shadows of Japan. It’s the King in Yellow. This explains the “twin suns” part of the title:
“Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind the lake,
The shadows lengthen in Carcosa.Strange is the night where black stars rise,
— Robert W. Chambers – The King In Yellow
And strange moons circle through the skies,
But stranger still is Lost Carcosa.”
The King In Yellow Appears In ‘The Sutra Of Pale Leaves – Twin Suns Rising’
Technically, the King in Yellow came first. After all, it was published in 1895, when Hugs Pwease Lovecraft was but a child. At least, I assume that’s what the H.P. stands for, and nothing else will convince me otherwise.
But the King in Yellow was a collection of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, who was, in turn, inspired by Ambrose Bierce. Both authors contributed significantly to what we collectively think of as Lovecraft’s “mythos.”
Bierce provided names like Carcosa and Hali and Hastur. Chambers’ idea of a play that drives those who even read it to perceive otherworldly visions and to fall into the snare of the King in Yellow resonated so much that Hugs Pwease adopted it into his own works. You can – and should – read the King in Yellow free online, as it’s in the public domain. Sites like Project Gutenberg have copies!
And now it comes full circle with the King in Yellow as part of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu tabletop RPG. The new book has scarcely any details revealed about it, aside from the fact that it’s releasing sometime in 2025 and features the King in Yellow in 1980s Japan. But honestly, that’s enough for me, and it should be huge for Chaosium.
After all, Call of Cthulhu is the number one RPG in Japan, beating out even the behemoth D&D – and by a long shot, too. Having an adventure set within a fictitious 80s that never was is good fodder for an RPG, from Tales from the Loop to the Stranger Things D&D set to certain Kids on Bikes sets. All of which can be quite fun. Now, add to that the harrowing new The Sutra of Pale Leaves – Twin Suns Rising, and you’ve got a recipe for eldritch terror.
Beware the Yellow Sign!
