A major element of CthulhuTech is fear and insanity. All alien monstrosities have a fear factor that forces a Tenacity roll – should the player fail, he or she will be scared or panicked by the presence of the monster, which may have scarring effects on the character's psyche. As well, coming into contact with aliens and demons, performing sorcery, utilizing psychic abilities, or witnessing horrible events, could lead players to gain points of Insanity. These can be opposed with Tenacity rolls as well. Should a player gain enough insanity points, the character will suffer psychological trauma, including common mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. If a player gains too many points of insanity, the character will be forced out of the game – but can recover with proper psychological attention over a period of time. Game setting The CthulhuTech corebook is set on Earth in 2085, during a war known as the "Aeon War," against aliens and cultists with varying goals. Due to the Aeon War, the political layout of the world has changed greatly. The remainder of the civilized world has joined forces to create the New Earth Government, comprising mainly Western Europe, China, Japan, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. Vast swathes of Asian and European territory have been destroyed by the rapidly expanding Rapine Storm, a cult of crazed psychopaths and cannibals who ravage the land in hordes of armed men and terrifying alien beasts. Antarctica, Alaska, and Northern Europe have fallen under the control of the Mi-Go aliens and their advanced technological war machine. All of the oceans and most of the coasts of the world are sparsely controlled by the Esoteric Order of Dagon, who use sea beasts, monstrous Deep Ones and Hybrid soldiers, brainwashed or conscripted humans, and their own brand of oceanic mecha in their search for R'lyeh, the lost underwater city of Cthulhu. Players can choose from two player races in the Core Rulebook. Aside from Humans, a player can choose to play as the alien Nazzadi, genetically engineered humans once under the influence of the Mi-Go but now allied with the Earth's government. The Nazzadi are depicted as dark skinned humans with intricate tattoos. The CthulhuTech companion book Vade Mecum introduced three new playable races, two of which are results of Nazzadi and Human coupling and are referred to as "Xenomixes." The third is the monstrous "Ghoul," a race of filthy and