Miskatonic Monday #108: The Hounds of Salem

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 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 Hounds of Salem

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Anthony L. Wolf

Setting: Jazz Age Lovecraft Country

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fifty-Three page, 9.21 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: What drives the moral to act immorally?

Plot Hook: Missing Mythos missives
Plot Support: Staging advice, two Mythos tomes, one spell, one map, three floorplans, two handouts, two Mythos monsters, and four pre-generated Investigators.

Production Values: Reasonable.

Pros

# Miskatonic University scenario
# Easily adapted to other periods

# Straightforward, but decent  investigation

Cons

# Underwhelming and unsympathetic villain motivation

# Too much Cthulhu Mythos reward

# Salem description undeveloped

# Odd title versus new Mythos creature, why not a Hound of Tindalos?

Conclusion

# Potentially too deadly an encounter for straight students rather than a mix group of Investigators 

# Decent investigation clashes with underwhelming and unsympathetic villain