Miskatonic Monday #132: Fork in the Road

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.

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Name: Fork in the Road

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Riley Kruger

Setting: Jazz Age USA

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fourteen page, 6.91 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Devil at the Crossroads meets the Mythos

Plot Hook: Jobbing musicians forced to make a choice
Plot Support: One NPC, one Mythos monsters, and five pre-generated Investigators

Production Values: Plain.

Pros

# Short thematic scenario

# Excellent artwork

Cons

# Short thematic scenario

# Linear scenario

# Tortuous imposition of the Mythos

# Needs a slight edit

# Underwhelming ‘Investigator’ agency

# Tortuously difficult to envision and portray the scenario’s central gamut

Conclusion

# Short thematic scenario imposes the Mythos on the ‘Investigators’ in a linear, difficul to grasp, gamut.

# Tortuous affair terrorises the ‘Investigators’ and leaves them with little agency.