©1990 John Tynes
[A review section of sorts. Unremarkable and too brief.]
The past several months have seen a flurry of activity in the Call of Cthulhu
game. Below are capsule reviews of six recent products:
Mansions of Madness, from Chaosium, is a compilation of five new
1920’s scenarios, all of which involve mysterious buildings. “The Sanatorium”,
by Keith Herber, is perhaps the best of the lot, though it is difficult
to imagine any group of investigators actually surviving the scenario due
to the unusual and overpowering abilities of their opponent. But the tasks
presented for the investigators are first-rate, and will give the players
a lot of opportunities for creative problem-solving. “The Crack’d and
Crook’d Manse” really needs a dedicated and imaginative Keeper, since
most of the adventure will consist of keeping the investigators off balance
and uncertain of what they are up against. The other three scenarios look
promising as well, though in “The Plantation” the investigators
may not have a lot to do towards the end as events careen out of their control.
Cthulhu Casebook, again from Chaosium, reprints a number of brief
scenarios from out-of-print books (including The Asylum, Curse of the Chthonians,
and others). If you have the older material there won’t be much here for
you, but otherwise the book is well worth getting. There are quite a few
excellent short scenarios inside, including “The Curse of Chaugnar-Faugn”
and “Thoth’s Dagger”, as well as some interesting new play aids
in the back. These include adventure ideas for Keepers and a nice set of
descriptions that demonstrate how the various Cthulhu creatures kill people.
Lurking Fears is the first product from a new company, Triad Entertainments.
It is a set of six scenarios, all by Scott Aniolowski and Michael Syzmanski,
who have both contributed several scenarios to Chaosium publications. The
book is nicely produced, with numerous player aids. The two standouts are
“Rise of the Sleeper” and “The Devourer”, though all
of the scenarios really require an experienced Keeper to run effectively.
Triad also sells a packet reproducing many of the handouts, along with a
couple of extra items you can make use of in the book’s adventures or in
your own. At a price of about $5 the packet is a nice accessory. For more
information write to Triad at P.O. Box 90, Lockport, NY 14095.
Fatal Experiments is kind of an oddball book from Chaosium. It contains
three scenarios, and a well-illustrated article on unusual weapons for 1920’s
gaming. The first scenario, “Tatterdemalion” includes a brief
side trip to Carcosa, and should make interesting reading alongside this
issue’s article on that city. In the second, investigators may find themselves
unfortunate prisoners and guinea pigs to a group of Mythos beings. The final
adventure is for advanced players and experienced investigators only; it
is very deadly and should be a real challenge. The weapons article is interesting,
and it includes a fold-out page of firearms drawings similar to Cthulhu
Now. It will no doubt light up the eyes of any player.
Blood Brothers is just plain weird. It contains 13 short scenarios,
all non-Mythos. Instead, they feature common villains from monster movies
— mummies, zombies, swamp men, and worse. Pre-generated investigators are
provided for each scenario, so while they won’t go into a campaign they’re
just right for a quick game.
Curse of Cthulhu, the newest Chaosium release, is another in the
series of reprint books Chaosium has issued. This one reprints Keith Herber’s
Fungi From Yuggoth campaign from some years ago. It is an excellent campaign,
with lots of player handouts and some real globe-trotting adventure. This
new edition includes a couple of short scenarios not present in the original.
One of these, “The Case”, is an almost literal adaptation of one
of H.P. Lovecraft’s best works and should be fun to play.