Which Great Old One Pack Gives You the Most at the Table?
Start with Great Old One Pack 1 ($39.99). It includes five entities (Abhoth, Chaugnar Faugn, Cthugha, Mother Hydra, and Yig), making it the broadest single purchase in the series and the one that reshapes the most games out of the box. From there, your next buy depends on which Great Old Ones appeal to your group and how deep into the expansion ecosystem you want to go.
When players search for a "box of the great old ones," they're typically looking for exactly what these packs deliver: colossal Great Old One figures, unique spellbooks for each entity, and cross-faction abilities that any group can recruit during play. Petersen Games sells these as four separate expansion packs, each with its own roster and price point. A direct breakdown of what each one contains follows below.
What's in Each Great Old One Pack?
Every pack shares the same structural promise: colossal figures, unique spellbooks, and full compatibility with all Cthulhu Wars products. The differences are in which Great Old Ones are included and how many you get for the price.
Great Old One Pack 1: $39.99 (Five Entities)
Pack 1 is the anchor of the series. Five Great Old Ones (Abhoth, Chaugnar Faugn, Cthugha, Mother Hydra, and Yig) means five distinct spellbooks and five new strategic options landing on the table at once. For groups that play Cthulhu Wars regularly, that's five potential pivots per game, and the sheer roster depth keeps sessions feeling different from one play to the next.
This is the pack that most players grab first, and the math holds up. Five entities at $39.99 works out to roughly $8 per Great Old One. That's the best per-entity value in the series.
Great Old One Pack 2: $34.99 (Four Entities)
Pack 2 follows logically after Pack 1 and adds four more Great Old Ones: Atlach-Nacha, Bokrug, Father Dagon, and Ghatanothoa. These are deep mythos figures, each bringing its own spellbook and cross-faction ability. If your group has worn Pack 1's Great Old Ones into the rotation and wants new threats to contend with, Pack 2 is the natural next step.
Four entities for $34.99 puts you at about $8.75 per Great Old One. That's still very reasonable, and a clear choice for anyone building toward a full collection.
Great Old One Pack 3 (Gobogeg): $14.99 (One Entity)
This one's different. Pack 3 contains a single Great Old One: Gobogeg, an entity I designed specifically for Cthulhu Wars (not pulled from the classic Lovecraft mythos). The community asked for it, so it exists. At $14.99, it's the cheapest entry point in the series and an obvious pickup for anyone completing the full set.
New players should grab Packs 1 and 2 first. Once you have those, there's no reason to skip Pack 3.
Great Old One Pack 4: $29.99 (Three Entities)
Pack 4 adds Byatis, Nyogtha, and Tulzscha: three more colossal figures with their own spellbooks and abilities. Three entities at $29.99 comes to about $10 per Great Old One, the highest per-entity price in the series. Collectors who want the complete roster will find that well within range. This is a "once you have the others" pick rather than a first purchase.
Which Pack Should You Actually Buy First?
Pack 1. Five entities, five spellbooks, the widest table variety, and the best per-entity cost in the series. For any group that plays Cthulhu Wars more than twice a month, Pack 1 earns its spot immediately.
After that, the buying order most collectors follow is Pack 2 (four more entities, strong mythos roster), then Pack 3 (Gobogeg, low cost, single entity), then Pack 4 (rounds out the full collection). That order moves from best breadth-per-dollar toward completionism rather than chasing any particular Great Old One.
Know which entity you want? Say, Atlach-Nacha from Pack 2 or Gobogeg from Pack 3. Jump straight to that pack. The Great Old Ones are cross-faction, so whichever factions your group plays, every entity in every pack is immediately usable.
Are the Great Old One Packs Worth It for Cthulhu Wars Veterans?
Yes, and the reason is simple: cross-faction recruitment. Every Great Old One in every pack can be recruited by any faction. That design decision means the entities actively change the strategic texture of games you've already played dozens of times. BoardGameGeek's Cthulhu Wars community consistently rates the Great Old One packs as high-impact additions precisely because of this mechanic; the entities fold into existing faction strategies rather than requiring a separate ruleset to learn.[1]
For veteran players who already own multiple faction expansions, the Great Old One packs are some of the most cost-efficient ways to meaningfully change how a game plays out. You don't need to teach new rules. You open the box, add the figures, and the table dynamic shifts.[2]
What If You Haven't Bought the Base Game Yet?
Get that first. The Great Old One Packs are expansions that require Cthulhu Wars (O4 Edition) to play. Once you have the base game, the packs snap right in. There's no edition conflict; every Great Old One Pack is fully compatible with all versions of Cthulhu Wars.
The full Cthulhu Wars collection at Petersen Games includes the O4 Edition base game, all four Great Old One Packs, faction expansions, and the broader expansion ecosystem. If you're building out a collection, that's the right place to see everything in one view.
Tabletop game scholar Shannon Appelcline has written about the evolution of asymmetric faction-based designs, the kind of design logic that makes Cthulhu Wars' expansion model tick.[3]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "box of the great old ones" in Cthulhu Wars?
Players often search for a "box of the great old ones" when looking for Cthulhu Wars expansion packs that add Great Old One entities to the game. Petersen Games sells these as four separate products: Great Old One Pack 1 ($39.99, five entities), Pack 2 ($34.99, four entities), Pack 3: Gobogeg ($14.99, one entity), and Pack 4 ($29.99, three entities). Each includes colossal figures and unique spellbooks.
Which Great Old One Pack should I buy first?
Great Old One Pack 1 is the best first purchase for most players. Five entities at $39.99 gives you the widest spread of new abilities and the best per-entity value in the series.
Can Great Old Ones from the packs be used by any faction?
Yes. Every Great Old One across all four packs can be recruited by any faction in Cthulhu Wars. That cross-faction flexibility is one of the main reasons these packs add replay value regardless of which factions your group plays.
What is in Great Old One Pack 3 (Gobogeg)?
Pack 3 contains a single Great Old One: Gobogeg, a new entity Sandy Petersen created specifically for Cthulhu Wars. It was added by popular demand and is not from the classic Lovecraft mythos. At $14.99, it's the lowest-cost entry in the series and a must-have for anyone completing the full collection.
Do I need a specific Cthulhu Wars edition to use the Great Old One Packs?
All four Great Old One Packs are compatible with all Cthulhu Wars products. They work with the current O4 Edition and any earlier edition without compatibility issues.
Ready to expand your game? Start with Great Old One Pack 1 for the broadest impact, then work through the series at your own pace. Browse the full Cthulhu Wars collection to see every faction expansion and add-on available from Petersen Games.
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