Miskatonic Monday #75: The Evil on the East River

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 Evil on the East River

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Ryan Graham Theobalds

Setting: Jazz Age New York

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty-one page, 5.26 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Extracurricular activity puts the Investigators on another path.

Plot Hook: What extras will an opportunity for extra credit lead to?

Plot Support: Detailed plot, three good handouts, two maps, ten NPCs, Mythos tome, one spell, and four pre-generated Investigators. 

Production Values: Good.

Pros
# Potential addition to the New York chapter of Masks of Nyarlathotep: Dark Schemes Herald the End of the World

# Good addition to a Harlem Unbound campaign

# Strong historical background

# Decent quartet of pre-generated African American Investigators

# One very surprising NPC

# Fantastic shipboard fight

# Could be adapted to other periods and settings, but not easily

# Desperate race to stop disaster

# Action-orientated adventure (suitable for Pulp Cthulhu: Two-fisted Action and Adventure Against the Mythos?)

Cons
# Requires a slight edit

# Adult in tone

# More maps would have helped
# Research links poorly developed

# Action-orientated adventure

# Adult tone means it is unsuitable as a convention scenario

Conclusion

# Action-orientated adventure

# From debauchery to disaster, a desperate race to stop a madman

# Fantastic shipboard fight