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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Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Michael LaBossiere
Setting: Small town, modern New England
Product: Scenario
What You Get: Ten page, 3.15 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Hometown Horror Maestro Horror
Plot Hook: Sheriff stumped by removed remains of the recently deceased director of horror movies. Could his death have become a horror movie?
Plot Support: Five NPCs, new Mythos creature variant, and a map.
Production Values: Tidy layout and decent illustrations.
Pros
# Potential hometown sidequest
# Simple story, one session scenario
# Good mix of NPCs for the Keeper to roleplay
# Potential convention scenario
# Easy to adapt to other time periods
# Roleplaying focused investigation
# Scope to play up the horror movie aspects
Cons
# Simple story, one session scenario
# Uninspiring new Mythos monster variant
# Underwritten investigation
Pros
# Potential hometown sidequest
# Simple story, one session scenario
# Good mix of NPCs for the Keeper to roleplay
# Potential convention scenario
# Easy to adapt to other time periods
# Roleplaying focused investigation
# Scope to play up the horror movie aspects
Cons
# Simple story, one session scenario
# Uninspiring new Mythos monster variant
# Underwritten investigation
# one note, combat climax
Conclusion
# Solid addition to any ghoul campaign
# Scope to play up the horror movie aspects
# Roleplaying investigation needs development
Conclusion
# Solid addition to any ghoul campaign
# Scope to play up the horror movie aspects
# Roleplaying investigation needs development
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