Miskatonic Monday #69: The Bottle Episode

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.

—oOo—

Name: The Bottle Episode

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Benjamin Wenham

Setting: Jazz Age Kingsport

Product: One-session, ship-in-a-bottle (literally) scenario
What You Get: Twenty-two page, 76.74 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Can you bottle the power of dreams?

Plot Hook: Locked Room, Missing Persons 

Plot Support: Detailed plot, ten decent handouts, two NPCs, and one Mythos monster. 

Production Values: Reasonable.

Pros
# Set in Kingsport, ‘The City in the Mists’

# Suitable for one or two or three  Investigators

# Playable in a single session

# Nicely done, all-too genteel NPCs

# Entertaining NPCs for the Keeper to portray

# Subtly touches upon period social mores and attitudes

# Can be enhanced with access to the Kingsport, ‘The City in the Mists’ supplement

# Lovely cover illustration

# Detailed invocation guidelines

# Strongly thematic, detailed plot

Cons
# Requires a strong edit

# Requires a stronger organisation
# Potential ‘disaster’ for the Investigator left underdeveloped

# Keeper needs to read this thoroughly

# No end-of-scenario Sanity gains or losses

# No Mythos tome developed

# Potential Total Party Disaster

Conclusion

# Requires a strong edit

# Underdevelopment of disaster scenes undermines scenario’s potential

# Poentially, an excellent addition to Lovecraft Country

# Delightfully thematic scenario