Miskatonic Monday #47: Call of Cthulhu Occupation Kit: Occultist

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 Repository.

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Name: Call of Cthulhu Occupation Kit: Occultist

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Evan Perlman

Setting: Jazz Age

Product: Investigator supplement
What You Get: 264.37 KB, four-page, full-colour PDF.
Elevator Pitch: Want extra depth and detail for your Occultist Investigator?
Investigator Hook: Delve into the ‘hidden’, the Occult world of folklore, spiritualism, Theosophy, esoteric magic, and other traditions for this classic Occupation for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition.
Investigator Support: Career Paths, Roleplaying Tips, Public Perceptions, Real-life Examples, Variant Skill Lists, and Equipment Lists.
Production Values: Plain and simple, but needs an edit.

Pros
# Good enough overview of the Occupation
# Touches upon various traditions
# Introduces real world examples
# Roleplaying tips
# Public perception of the Occupation an interesting inclusion.
# Solid concept

Cons
# Feels underdeveloped
# Good enough overview of the Occupation
# No sample Occultist Investigators
# No sample Occultist NPCs

Conclusion
# More magazine article than supplement
# Feels underdeveloped
# Solid concept