BoM/TWS Message Forum

Not much of a fan of Lovecraft, but making it a part of the Mythos dilutes the ramifications of the ethical questions the Libra's existence makes.

If von G was simply a cultist of whatever Elder God or Great Old One, and the book was simply a way to steal metaphysical components as a way to extend their life (a la Ephraim --> Asenaith), it'd make for a great horror theme but it'd mean whoever claims and uses the book becomes corrupted by an alien entity and not its own maliciousness. Part of what makes the Libra so haunting is that the book itself and its purpose aren't entirely evil, but require checking your morals at the door, which opens up to corruption - however, that corruption, ultimately, is entirely the enchanter's own and not because of von G or whatever is behind him.

As for the "wider magic world", you could make a claim for just about any games/series that has a developed magic system. CoC would definitely fit the Shabblemans and their ancestors, but it could easily fit a series like Shadowrun if you focus on something like the Stars vs. Fane (ancient conspiracy vs. megacorp, with the players being runners stumbling upon the Libra as part of a heist).

I will say, though, that the Libra could be twisted into a horror campaign given enough time. What's important is that the players know but never get access to it - suspect their friends and relatives are no longer themselves, until eventually even the players start doubting themselves, and then, as they dig deeper into the event, find themselves with the temptation to find and use it to "fix" things, eventually becoming that which they are fighting. (A "he who hunts monsters" scenario, in short.) And yes, CoC could be used as a rules system to make such a campaign work. But I feel it'd be even more haunting to make such a scenario not rely on the Mythos.