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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Author: Andy Miller
Setting: Jazz Age New England
Product: The Haunting, take two?
What You Get: Fifty-Six page, 29.09 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some hauntings never get old...
Plot Hook: Providence brings a haunted man into the path of their oncoming automobile.
Plot Support: Detailed plot, ten decent handouts, five maps, four NPCs, two Mythos tomes, and six pre-generated Investigators.
Production Values: Excellent.
Pros
# Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shunned House’
# Inspired by Sandy Peterson’s ‘The Haunting’
# Simple, but highly detailed set-up
# Clue rich
# Lots of historical detail
# Easily adapted to other periods
# Suitable for one or two Investigators
# Suitable as an introduction to Lovecraftian investigative horror
# Easy to drop into a campaign (or start one with)
# Playable in a single session
# Not ‘The Haunting’, but like ‘The Haunting’
# Has its own bed frame-window moment.
Cons
# Not ‘The Haunting’, but like ‘The Haunting’
# Potential information overload
# Challenging NPCs for the Keeper to roleplay
# Challenging NPCs for the Investigators to interact with
# Scope for conflict between the Investigators
# Potential Total Party Kill
Conclusion
# Not ‘The Haunting’, but like ‘The Haunting’
# Simple, but highly detailed set-up
# Suitable as an introduction to Lovecraftian investigative horror
# Loving tribute to Sandy Peterson’s ‘The Haunting’
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