Miskatonic Monday #2: Isle of Madness

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was a Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise ofthe Dead, Rise ofthe Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the far reaches of the Miskatonic Repository.

—oOo—

Name: Isle of Madness

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.

Author: Ed Possing

Cartography: Ed Possing

Setting: Desperate Decade, 1930s (1950s), Pulp Cthulhu

Product: Scenario

What You Get: 0.996 MB, 16-page full colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: The Tempest meets The Island of Doctor Moreau in the Bermuda Triangle with not-Deep Ones

Plot Hook: The heroes are shipwrecked off a secret island in the North Atlantic and get caught up in a Mad Scientist’s plans for revenge on his batrachian brothers.

Plot Development: Friendly not-Deep Ones, a big tank of water in the Mad Scientist’s lair, evil plans, and sharks. Plus a giant robot! In a volcano!!

Plot Support: Fully plotted out with eight NPCs, scenes and events, and a map of the island.

Production Values: Needs another edit and no artwork. The map is scrappy.

Pros

# Straightforward plot

# Very little investigation

# Easily shifted to the 1950s

# Easy to drop into a Pulp Cthulhu campaign, especially The Two-Headed Serpent

# Works as a short scenario or a sidetrek

Cons

# Highly action orientated

# Straightforward plot

# Sanity losses too high in places

# Very little investigation
# Where’s the Mad Scientist’s monologue?

Conclusion

# A ‘B’ Movie writ large

# Solid, though not original, plot

# A big fat punch up from start to finish

# Easy to run

# Playable in a session

# Still want that Mad Scientist’s monologue, dammit!