That’s all the Call of Cthulhu stuff TOME produced. I already covered Pursuit to Kadath which, back in 2017, I seem to have enjoyed it more than I probably would if I revisit it now. In flailing around for something to round out the week with, though, I learned that TOME produced a book for Stormbringer. Interesting! It is, to my knowledge, the only third-party licensed product for Stormbringer.

It’s called The Octogon of Chaos (1986) and it has nothing to do with mixed martial arts. I am a little surprised by how entirely TOME upped their game between Glozel and this, though. The art is pretty tip-top and the maps fantastic, both delivered by Rick Barber. I don’t love the cover by Joe O’Niel, but that’s OK, we can pretend the amazing cover from the French edition is on there instead. The whole thing is even organized pretty well. They do misspell the lord of Chaos’ name as Mabelrode; it’s supposed to be Mabelode; at least, I think it is. This seems to be a common mistake among Moorcock fans (Mabelode is the titular King of Swords in the Corum series) and honestly, changing spellings is apt for a lord of Chaos. 

Anyway, the adventure is mostly a forgettable race of a journey to reach the crown of Mabelode before a rival sorcerer of Pan-Tang, with a tight timetable and bunch of rather dull hazards. If players lose the race, the really good part of the book is looted and empty. If they win, they have limited time to explore. Both these outcomes do a disservice to the centerpiece of the adventure.

Which, of course, is the titular Octagon, formed by eight towers filled with strange and dangerous sights. The surround the massive statue/temple of Mabelode, buried up to the knees in hardened lava flow. The whole place nails a very specific otherworldly feel I expect from Stormbringer locales touched by Chaos. Framing aside, this stands with the best of the Chaosium-produced material for the game.