Miskatonic Monday #23: Visceral and Emotional Damage

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 of the Dead, Rise of the 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 depths of the Miskatonic Depository.

—oOo—

Name: Visceral and Emotional Damage

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Jon Hook

Setting: Any
Product: Reference
What You Get: 1.02 MB, 10-page colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: No more flesh wounds!

Plot Hook: Damage should not just be numbers, but hit locations and injuries.
Plot Development: Lost toes, shattered kneecaps, lost fingers, perforated intestines, pierced lungs, jugular slashed, Sanity loss.
Plot Support: Hit location table, injury location tables, gore descriptors.
Production Values: Decent.

Pros
# Inspired by The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, Episode #143
# Plenty of gore
# Wounds and Sanity losses

Cons
# When is too much detail, too much detail?
# Unsuitable for Pulp Cthulhu: Two-fisted Action and Adventure Against the Mythos

Conclusion
# Works in any period.
# Ow! Ow! That hurts.