Ghostlight: A Final Word
An occult roleplaying game set at a New England college does not require eldritch racism.
Leaving H.P. Lovecraft’s influence out of Ghostlight wasn’t only a conscious choice, it’s one I’m proud to shine a spotlight on. Yes, it’s that intentional. Lovecraft’s work might feature universities and scholars poking around in things they shouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean he deserves a place of honor at the Manfred College of the Arts. Ask any true Dark Shadows fan about the Leviathan story arc near the end of the show’s original run, and they’ll tell you: not everything is improved by cramming Lovecraft’s bullshit into it. His cosmic horror shtick had its day, sure, but at this point, slapping Cthulhu on anything roleplaying-related is lazy as hell. Not everything needs tentacles to be scary. Ghostlight sure doesn’t need to be dragged down by his overdone nonsense.
And let’s stop pretending Lovecraft’s just some misunderstood genius. People keep giving him a pass because, hey, cosmic monsters are cool, right? But let’s be clear: the man wasn’t just a “product of his time”, he was an unapologetic, raging racist. His xenophobia wasn’t subtle, it was front and center in his work. That "fear of the unknown" he’s so celebrated for? It wasn’t some deep metaphor for existential dread; it was his fear of anyone who didn’t fit into his narrow, hateful worldview. The guy wrote some of the most dehumanizing crap imaginable, and people still gloss over it because of his tentacled brainchild.
Also, let’s not forget: in the original story, Cthulhu, this allegedly invincible cosmic deity, got hit by a boat and went crying back to R’lyeh.
Ghostlight doesn’t need his tainted legacy dragging it down. The horror should focus on real, human struggles with the unknown, the eerie, the psychological, not recycling Lovecraft’s cosmic racism in a new coat of paint. Just because his work involved scholars doesn’t mean it’s worth revisiting. Frankly, it’s time for Lovecraft’s work to sink back into the depths where it belongs. He wrote bad horror, and even worse takes on humanity. Ghostlight can, and should, do a hell of a lot better.
B.K.
28 December 2024
