Miskatonic Monday #150: Heinrich’s Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation

Call of Cthulhu is a roleplaying game with a problem—and always has been. The first and most famous of horror roleplaying games inverts the traditional path for the Player Character, as first seen in Dungeons & Dragons, and then ever since, who as he learns and masters skills and has experiences, goes from a nobody to a hero in the course of his adventures. In Call of Cthulhu, a Player Character—or Investigator—enters play as someone with skills and experiences, but as he learns more and master skills, he declines, most obviously in terms of his mental health or Sanity. Of course, that ignores his fragility relative to the world and the multiple ways in which he can be killed or sent mad, both very common destinies in Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying. Whether dead or mad—not impossibly both, what that means is that the player has to create a new Investigator. Which in any edition of Call of Cthulhu is a straightforward enough process, but the resulting Investigator is not going to be as interesting as the one that died, perhaps little more than a run-of-the-mill example of whatever Occupation the player has decided up for the Investigator. A louche Dilettante? A hardboiled Detective who has seen it all? An all-too nosy Journalist? And if the Investigator’s fortunes go awry, how quickly will the player be returning to the Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook?

Now Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition goes some way in allaying this issue. In presents numerous Occupations, but also encourages a player to create a Backstory, including Personal Description, Ideology/Beliefs, Significant People, Meaningful Locations, Treasured Possessions, and Traits. Optional rules also provide alternative means of creating Investigators, as well as Experience Packages that can further round out an Investigator, though at a cost of some Sanity. What though, if there was a volume which would go even further, to help a player create even more interesting Investigators, with detailed backgrounds and histories, which would be even more engaging and interesting to roleplay and interact with? Heinrich’s Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation is such a tome.

Heinrich’s Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation is inspired by the series of books published in the early nineties by Task Force Games that include Central Casting: Heroes of Legend, Central Casting: Heroes Now, and Central Casting: Heroes for Tomorrow. They provided tools for interesting Player Character generation—in addition to the mechanics and numbers provided by the roleplaying game that the Player Character was being created for—for their respective genres, and so does Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation. The book also works with Pulp Cthulhu: Two-fisted Action and Adventure Against the Mythos as some of the entries do veer into the fantastic. The volume takes the Investigator through the four steps of his life prior to becoming involved with the Mythos and entering play, from Origins through Childhood and Adolescence to Adulthood, the player rolling on the tables as necessary, and sometimes also being asked to make skill or attribute rolls as well. What is made clear is that neither the player nor the Keeper has to adhere to the outcome of any roll. Indeed, both are encouraged to cheat if it will make a more interesting Investigator or NPC, and anyway, even if not using dice the entries on the innumerable tables in the Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation are ultimately nothing more than prompts to the imagination.

To it necessary to really see what we are contrasting in Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation and so the following is an Investigator who has appeared in numerous forms. He is a Boston antiquarian, a would be academic whose experiences in the Great War left him partially deaf and unsuited to the rigours of university life.

Henry Brinded,
age 44, Antiquarian

STR 40 SIZ 85 CON 45 DEX 70
APP 75 INT 80 POW 65 EDU 91
SAN 58 Luck 75 Damage Bonus +1d4 Build 1
Move 7 HP 12

Brawl 35% (17/7), damage 1D3+db, or by weapon type
Rifle/Shotgun 35% (17/8), damage 2D6/1D6/1D3 (Ithaca Hammerless Field 20G 2.75” calibre shotgun)
Handgun 30% (15/7), damage 1d10+2 (Colt New Service (M1909) .45 LC calibre revolver)
Dodge 35% (17/7)

Skills: Appraise 45%, Archaeology 26%, Art/Craft (Book Restoration) 49%, Art/Craft (Painting) 26%, Artillery 40%, Climb 30%, Credit Rating 45%, Firearms (Handguns) 30%, Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) 35%, First Aid 50%, History 55%, Library Use 50%, Navigate 20%, Occult 20%, Persuade 40%, Pilot (Boat) 26%, Psychology 31%, Spot Hidden 45%, Stealth 25%, Swim 40%, Track 20%.
Languages: Ancient Greek 41%, English (Own) 91%, Latin 51%.

Backstory
Personal Description: Tall and thin, just shy of infirm, bespectacled and inquisitive.
Treasured Possessions: Latin-English Primer
Traits: Introspective but curious, softly spoken, but firm in manner
Phobias: Ligyrophobia – Fear of loud noises.
Notes: Immune to sanity losses resulting from viewing a corpse or gross injury.

Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation will build in elements that will potentially include Personal Description, Traits, Ideology/Beliefs, Injuries & Scars, Significant People, Phobias & Manias, Meaningful Locations, Arcane Tomes, Spells, & Artifacts, Treasured Possessions, and Encounters with Strange Entities, but begins with a point spread of characteristics. Similarly, it assumes a similar point spread for both Occupational skills and Non-Occupational skills, and builds from there. What the volume does not do is include tables to determine the Investigator’s race, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, these being all very personal choices and it should not be a case of a random roll determining something that a player might uncomfortable portraying in game. Similarly, the tables do not reflect the social, cultural, and legal prejudices prevalent during the Jazz Age or the Desperate Decade, the primary settings for Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying. Again, such choices are very much left up to the Keeper and her players to decide upon.

The creation process is methodical, step-by-step, sometimes sending off the player or Keeper off to a separate table way in the back in the book—so it does involve a lot of flipping back and forth—to roll on another table to get another detail. Some entries instruct the player or Keeper to add a detail here or assign there. For example, ‘Bookworm’ is an entry in the ‘Childhood Events’ table and informs the player or keeper that the Investigator or NPC was studious and curious as a child, always asking questions or reading a book. The Keeper or player is then instructed to assign the highest remaining characteristic score to the Education of the NPC or Investigator and suggests ‘Book Dealer’ and ‘Librarian’ be listed under Potential Occupations.

Albert Johansen,
age 44, Book Dealer

Place of Birth: Germany
Social Status: Extremely Wealthy
Occupation: Book Dealer
Potential Occupations: Librarian, Book Dealer, Professor

STR 40 SIZ 50 CON 50 DEX 50
APP 50 INT 70 POW 60 EDU 80
SAN 60 Luck 84 Damage Bonus None Build 0
Move 8 HP 12

Brawl 25% (12/6), damage 1D3+db, or by weapon type
Rifle/Shotgun 45% (22/11)
Dodge 35% (17/7)

Skills: Accounting 45%, Appraise 55%, Art/Craft (Painting) 21%, Credit Rating 70%, Cthulhu Mythos 05%, Drive Auto 60%, History 75%, Library Use 70%, Navigate 30%, Occult 45%, Own Language (German) 80%, Other Language (English) 61%, Other Language (Latin) 61%, Persuade 50%, Pilot (Boat) 21%, Psychology 30%, Swim 40%

Albert Johansen was born in Germany to an Extremely Wealthy family and was expected to be a great scholar (Destiny). He was brought up by his mother, his father having been killed in an automobile accident which left her blind in her right eye. He has a younger sister. During his childhood, he was frightened of taking a bath, believing there to be a monster in the water pipes, but as he grew older, the members of the hunting lodge his father had belonged to took an interest in his upbringing and encouraged to learn to shoot and enjoy other field sports. As a boy, he was studious and religious coming to believe that he was Blessed (gains the relevant handout which grants bonuses in play, plus extra Luck) after adopting the faith of his father (Turn of Faith). He was surprised to receive an invitation at Miskatonic University (Invitation to Study), having expected to study at home, but there discovered the Professors’ Conspiracy investigating some dread powers. Your involvement led to an encounter with a living flame, which injured your throat (gaining the handout, ‘The Injured’), scarring your neck (Body Scars) and leaving you with a raspy voice. You returned home and much to your family’s surprise entered the book trade. You were apprenticed to Herr Emil Winter, who provided to be more than a book dealer. Indeed, he was a Magician who was able to teach him one spell at least.

This is only the start and it is possible to explore numerous aspects of the Investigator or NPC. Events can occur as part of his Occupation, he can engage in romances and build a family life, suffer fortune and misfortune, join the military, get caught up in crime and even end up incarcerated or institutionalised due to mental illness, go on an expedition, including to the Amazonia and Antarctica, come to the attention of a secret government agency, and even venture into the Dreamlands and other dimensions. There is the chance of experiencing some kind of event that will become part of a campaign—as decided or chosen by the Keeper, that the Investigator or NPC be kidnapped or have to put up with a nosy neighbour, be possessed, and a whole more, all supported by table upon table! Handouts cover strange events which will have long lasting in-game effects, such as suffering ‘The Innsmouth Look’ or becoming ‘A Friend of Ghouls’. These do push the campaign towards a more Pulp style, but add flavour and detail. Even at the most basic functions, the tables in Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation are just lists of prompts—certainly too many to count. If perhaps the one table that is underwhelming, it is the one of names, but to be fair, covering that in this book would probably double the page count!

Physically, Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation is busily laid out with table upon table. It is decently written and liberally illustrated with both period photographs and painted pieces.

Heinrich's Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation is fantastic toolkit. Of course, it is too much perhaps to create an Investigator or NPC with any rapidity. There are just too many tables to roll on and options to choose from, but between games, this is a superb resource to consult and gently create interesting and detailed characters. It very much has the feel of a solo adventure book, but one which creates a character by the end rather than at the beginning, equipped with a treasure trove of experiences and details that the player or Keeper can draw upon.

With Heinrich’s Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation, the player is at last going to have a resource and supplement all of his very own from the Miskatonic Repository. With it he can create interesting and varied Investigators ready to bring to his Keeper’s next game using the wealth of detail and background and ideas to be found in its pages. Sometimes though, just sometimes, he is going to have to let his Keeper have a peak too. Heinrich’s Call of Cthulhu Guide to Character Creation is the player’s tome that the roleplaying game never knew it quite needed, but now it really, really does.

Miskatonic Monday #149: Trick or Treat 2

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: Trick or Treat 2

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Andy Miller

Setting: Modern Day

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Sixty-Two page, 32.43 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Sequel to ‘Trick or Treat’ from Blood Brothers

Plot Hook: Bored? Too old to trick or treat? Why not visit the site of an unsolved series of murders?
Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Teen Investigators, twelve NPCs, three handouts, four maps, three non-Mythos spells, and four non-Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Decent.

Pros

# Sequel to ‘Trick or Treat’ from Blood Brothers

# Pleasing history of Halloween and Halloween and Call of Cthulhu

# Decent staging advice

# Plenty of background

# Does not simply start at the murder site

# Contrasts the horror with school life

# Detailed playtest notes included

# Detailed plotting

# Botanophobia

# Formidophobia

Cons

# Another ‘Kids in peril on Halloween’ scenario

# Too much background for a one-shot?

# Handouts a little plain

# Needs an edit

# Detailed plotting

# Slightly too for a one-session one-shot

Conclusion

# Classic ‘Kids in peril on Halloween’ scenario in which exploring an old murder site turns horrifically bloody as traditional Halloween motifs come to life and stalk the teenage protagonists. 

# Highly detailed and plotted—perhaps overly so?—teenage horror scenario which delivers a suitably nasty sequel to a Call of Cthulhu, non-Mythos classic. 

Mythos & Misdirection

Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death begins with a problem. The anthology is a collection of scenarios for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition from Stygian Fox Publishing, previously known for two other collections, Fear’s Sharp Little Needles:Twenty-Six Hunting Forays into Horror and the highly regarded Things We leave Behind. What its back cover blurb states is that the book is, “Seven modern era adventures of mystery and death taking investigators through a nightmare of unexpected outcomes, horrific dilemmas, and extreme cosmic horror.” However, the problem is that this statement is both inaccurate and misleading, and it completely fails to tell the prospective purchaser and Keeper what Occam’s Razor is. This problem is compounded by the complete absence of an introduction, which might have explained what Occam’s Razor is and what Occam’s Razor is not, and the key idea behind the anthology. It is not until the reader is fifteen pages into Occam’s Razor and at the end of the first scenario that it becomes clear what the anthology is and what the key idea behind it is. Which really is too late to discover, especially when the blurb promises the prospective purchaser and Keeper “extreme cosmic horror” and does not ‘exactly’ fulfil that promise.

Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death, published following a successful Kickstarter campaign, is an anthology of scenarios which involve the mundane rather than Mythos horror. In this they adhere to the principle of ‘Occam’s Razor’ that when faced with competing theories or explanations to a problem, the one with the fewest complications and thus the simplest is to be preferred. In fact, there is no fantastical horror involved in the scenarios in the anthology. So, no vampires or werewolves, let alone the Cthulhu Mythos. Instead, a pack of rabid dogs rather than werewolves (or Ghouls), murder rather than lake monsters (or Deep Ones), and mental illness rather than stalking (or cultists). However, in each case, the author provides options and suggestions in a ‘Must Have Mythos’ sidebar as to what Mythos threat might be added to make each scenario more of a traditional scenario for Call of Cthulhu. That though, would be undercut the point of the anthology, which would be to misdirect the players and their Investigators. To have them chasing hither and thither in search of a Mythos threat or solution to a situation, only for them to miss the obvious, but ultimately realise that the mundane solution can be just as horrifying.

Besides sharing mundane solutions with Mythos options, what the majority of the scenarios in Occam’s Razor share is a hook. Five out of the seven involve missing persons cases, which quickly becomes repetitive and means that whether running them using the mundane solution or the Mythos solution, the Keeper cannot use them one after another. Similarly, four out of the seven involve college students, and that too has a similar effect. All seven though are quite short, offering no more than a session or two’s worth of play, and all are really nicely detailed, the author having done a decent job of explaining each scenario’s plot and clues and ramifications and how each investigation should play out. Even the simplest is well thought through and this shows on the page. The author also adds advice and suggestions on how to run or stage each scenario in sidebars that are in an addition to the usually fulsome ‘Must Have Mythos’ sidebar. The scenarios in the anthology are all set in the modern day, so mobile phones and the Internet all feature fairly heavily, and it will probably be a good idea if at least one Investigator possesses a decent Computer skill—there are a lot of passwords to crack in the seven scenarios.

The anthology opens with ‘A Whole Pack of Trouble’. The parents of Kyle Alexander, a college freshman, believe that he has gone missing, but cannot persuade the campus or local police department that this is the case. Both believe that he is simply away on a break, but following the clues from his dorm room leads the Investigators out into the back wilds where they find Alexander’s car outside a long-abandoned asylum. So, the questions are, what was Kyle doing out there and where is he now? The solution here is a feral dog pack, which presents a genuinely nasty threat once the animals gain the Investigators’ scent.

The second scenario is ‘Eye of the Beholder’ and involves the second missing persons case in the anthology, again from a college. Amy Langan is an art student and once her movement is traced, she was last seen at a local art museum. The question is, where did she go after that? This is a constrained scenario, confined to the four walls of the museum, which has the scope to inject an unhealthy dose of the Mythos via a seemingly random art exhibition. This seems rather overdone in comparison to the mundane solution behind the disappearance. Whether the Keeper adds the Mythos or keeps the scenario mundane, it is possible to circumvent either and very quickly bring the scenario to a conclusion.

‘Frozen Footsteps’ takes the Investigators to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the trail of a friend who failed to turn up for a regular lunch meeting. The friend is known to be an amateur scholar of the occult, so something must have caught his interest… Unfortunately, this is not an interesting scenario in itself, with or without the addition of the Mythos content. What sets this scenario apart is the wintery nature of the setting and time of year, and that the antagonists are actually more proactive than others in the scenarios in the anthology. Of course, the friend needs to be added to the campaign prior to the scenario to really work.

Fortunately, ‘Dark and Deep’ is much more interesting in almost every way. In a nod to the author’s own filmic interests, the Investigators receive—or are alerted to the existence of—what appears to be an exert from a snuff film, in which a young woman appears to be attacked by a monster in the waters near a lighthouse. Perhaps the monster could be a Deep One? There is an engaging plot to this scenario and plenty of potential for good roleplaying, and that is even before the Keeper thinks of adding the suggested Mythos content. Should she do so, this adds another level of engaging plot and the motivations of the Mythos threat actually fit the situation ever so neatly. Of all the scenarios in Occam’s Razor, ‘Dark and Deep’ is the one easiest to use in a standard Call of Cthulhu campaign without the Mythos feeling shoehorned in.

The scenarios return to college for ‘Visions from Beyond’ after one of the investigators receives a late-night telephone call from a young man who looks up to the Investigator and takes an interest in the Investigator’s occult-busting activities. The young man is distraught and upset, babbling about recent activities he has been involved in, but then the telephone goes. What has the young man been up to and where is he now? The Investigators must deal with the young man’s fraternity and the campus police before grasping some idea of what is going on… When the antagonists find out, they have a nasty way of turning on the Investigators and then everything gets really freaky! This scenario is nasty enough to not warrant the inclusion of the Mythos, and if it is, there would really be very little difference between the Mythos threat and the mundane one. The scenario needs some set-up beforehand, adding the young man as an NPC to the Keeper’s campaign. This is likely to work better here than in the earlier ‘Frozen Footsteps’, as the interaction with the young man brings an emotional immediacy to the scenario.

The most radical of the scenarios in Occam’s Razor is ‘The Watchers’. A young woman, Linda Lopez, hires the Investigators because she believes is being followed and her apartment is being watched, including by a tall shadowy figure. Of all the scenarios in the anthology, the solution to the situation in ‘The Watchers’ is the both the most mundane and certainly the saddest. This is because her fears are unfounded because she is mentally ill and suffering from schizophrenia. The scenario is designed to teach reckless Investigators and their players a lesson or two in not rushing into the situation and jumping to conclusions. Adding the Mythos to ‘The Watchers’ would ultimately undermine this intent, let alone the fact that the Mythos would not add anything of interest either. The treatment of the mental illness and the symptoms of schizophrenia are reasonably well handled, but there is no denying that ‘The Watchers’ has a brand of horror all of its very own, which makes for an uncomfortable scenario with potentially a difficult subject matter for some players and controversial for others.

The last scenario in ‘A Cleansing Flame’ goes back to college where an astronomer friend of the investigators is found burned to death. Does it have something to do with his research or is there something else going on here? As the Investigators tries to find out the truth, one of their number comes to the attention of someone who always seems to remain elusive and just out of the corner of their eye. Is this person related to the victim’s work or not, and just what is their interest in the Investigator? This is not an easy investigation and many of the NPCs will be unhelpful or simply difficult to deal with. In comparison to the other six scenarios in the anthology, ‘A Cleansing Flame’ is a looser affair and not as tightly structured or plotted, so it likely to require more time to play and more input from the Keeper. The scenario’s climax—as the author makes clear—also has the potential to kill all of the Investigators. Also, like some of the other scenarios in the anthology, adding the Mythos to ‘A Cleansing Flame’ does not add anything to its horror.

Rounding out Occam’s Razor is a series of newspaper articles which the Keeper can develop scenarios from herself or link to other adventures, especially those also published by Stygian Fox Publishing. The anthology also comes with a set of pre-generated Investigators, the owner and staff of the Sandings Investigative Agency. These are for the most part, decent enough.

Physically, Occam’s Razor is a handsome looking, but slim tome. The book is nicely illustrated throughout and the cartography is artfully done, arguably the best to appear in a Stygian Fox Publishing in some while. Not all of the illustrations match the maps—or vice versa—though, and the editing is uneven in places.

There have been anthologies for Call of Cthulhu before which present scenarios without the Mythos. Bumps in the Night from Pagan Publishing is one, as are Blood Brothers and Blood Brothers II, both from Chaosium, Inc. Occam’s Razor joins them, but wants to have its cake and eat it by including options to involve the Mythos, and in all too many cases, the presence of the Mythos does not add much, if anything at all, to a scenario. This is primarily because the presence of the Mythos is simply changing the motivations behind the antagonists’ actions, the exception being the best scenario in the book proving the point. ‘Dark and Deep’ stands very well up on its own, but the addition of the Mythos adds plot rather than motivation.

The collection though is not as easy to use because of its repeated hook of missing persons cases and the mundane nature of the antagonists. Rather than use them one after another, the scenarios need to spread across a campaign if their central conceit—that not all horrifying situations have a Mythos solution and the Investigators need to be reminded of that on occasion—is to work. Nevertheless, Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death presents a set of serviceable scenarios, with at least the one standout, but all seven are solidly plotted and well written.

England’s Dreaming Awaits

England is falling. She stuttered after the slaughter of the Great War and the ravages of the Spanish Flu. As the Bright Young Things flung themselves into the hedonism of the Jazz Age and the working classes fomented industrial action—if not outright revolution, the fall was accelerated after the Wall Street Crash spread the Great Depression around the world. Now as Fascism rises in nearby Europe and is admired and entertained by the Upper Classes, the country is losing its way, weak and unsure of what it once was, let alone what it is now. Yet there are those who recognise the malaise, and who not only know the solution, but have the means and the power to apply it and so restore the country. Since the strange occurrences in the South Pacific in 1925, there have been men and women who have come to see there are beings and powers beyond that can be used and bargained with to ensure that England can be at least itself once again, that it can inspire great men and simple men alike, be prepared to weather the coming storm, and perhaps aspire to be the Albion of William Blake’s verse. Their means is not politics or the modern arts of mass communication, but old arts and skills—magic! Or rather Alchemy, Spiritualism, and Witchcraft, as well as the Magick of the evillest man in England, Aleister Crowley. Armed with knowledge gained from their newfound skills and researches, they will delve into the myth and folklore of the country, allay the threats they sometimes are, have dealings with creatures and persons out of fable, and encounter those non-believers, rival magicians, and fascists who do not want a return to a green and pleasant land in a secret war which will play out over the course of the Desperate Decade.

This is the setting for Fearful Symmetries, a campaign for Trail of Cthulhu, published by Pelgrane Press. This explores the clash between rationalism and romance, science and magic, Lovecraft and Blake, the Mythos and the folklore in a framework inspired by Blake’s artwork and writings, that might not involve Lovecraftian investigative horror at all! For although the often non-Euclidean mathematics of the Mythos underly the workings of the mundane magics of Alchemy, Spiritualism, Magick, and Witchcraft, as well as the existence of the Mythos creatures and races that explain many of the creatures known in folklore, this does not mean that they will be recognised as being of the Mythos. Thus, the Investigators may encounter the Mythos but not necessarily recognise as such, likely losing Stability and Sanity nevertheless, just as they will for practising magic and encountering folkloric creature. Ultimately, magic, even as it empowers the Investigators to deal with the threats to Albion and ensure its restoration, is a double-edged sword, yet one more ‘fearful symmetry’ they will face in the course of a campaign.

Fearful Symmetries begins with an introduction to William Blake and both his works and mythology, contrasting them with those of Lovecraft. This section in particular is lavishly illustrated with Blake’s paintings, but they are used throughout the book and so give it a very individual look. Here the groundwork is laid for a campaign, including whether it should be played open or closed in terms of Investigator knowledge, the style of magic the Investigators should employ—Magick is the default, the conventions of magic, what type of characters to play, and advice for the player. The counterpart to this—or symmetry—is the advice and tools for the Keeper. The Folklore Engine and the History Machine are the primary sets of tools, more a series of prompt than necessarily tools, but they enable the Keeper to build mysteries and episodes around folklore and the real world. They have their own counterpart for the players in the form of The Book of the New Jerusalem, an in-game prompt that they can draw from to direct their Investigators’ enquiries. Other tools include geographical and relationship maps, timelines, and more, the latter running all the way up to safety tools necessary for a good game. There is decent advice on setting up and running a campaign, the primary advice being that the Keeper improvise in response to her players’ and their Investigators’ actions and decisions, many of which are intended to be drawn from The Book of the New Jerusalem.

One major difference between Trail of Cthulhu and Fearful Symmetries is the power level of the Investigators. In Trail of Cthulhu—even in Pulp mode, the power level of the Investigators is low. At best, an Investigator might know a spell or two in Trail of Cthulhu, whereas in Fearful Symmetries they are magical adepts, capable of casting a variety of spells, empowering rituals, creating magical items, entreating with magical beings, and incarnating Blakean spirits. Fearful Symmetries gives ways of making the casting of Incantations—immediate spells, and the performing of rituals—longer, more involved castings, both interesting and mechanically beneficial. Magic here has to be worked, especially the rituals, which the Investigators will be regularly performing, whether this is initiation rituals to bring someone into a magical group or attunement rituals to align the casters to a magical item or node. The attunement ritual will be important throughout a Fearful Symmetries campaign as the Investigators will be working to restore and repair important locations upon England’s ley lines and this bring about a new Albion.

Although the default style of magic in Fearful Symmetries is Aleister Crowley’s Magick, three others—Alchemy, Spiritualism, and Witchcraft—are also examined in detail. Others are mentioned as an aside, but the focus on the key four means that there is a lot here for the Keeper to grasp and understand, let alone her players. Having Magick as the default offsets that, although main reason is that having the Investigators share the same magical style means that they can easier work together. The wealth of information here means that the casting of magic should never get stale.

In terms of background, Fearful Symmetries gives a good guide to life and cultures of mundane England of the thirties, details several of the occult groups operating in England in the period (these can be rivals, groups the Investigators can join, and so on), points to ordinary groups such as ramblers and potholers as useful contacts and NPCs, numerous creatures and beings from British folklore are described and given stats, as are various items and occult books. Occult England—or Albion—takes in not just the notable magical places across the country, thus tying in with The Book of the New Jerusalem, but also extends beyond into other places. These include Fairyland, the astral plane, even Death, as well as John Dee’s Aethyrs, the planes surrounding the Earth. Combined with the ley maps in the appendices at the rear of the book and The Book of the New Jerusalem and what Fearful Symmetries provides an occult sandbox which the Keeper can develop a campaign from and the players and their Investigators can explore in pursuit of a restored Albion.

The default or sample campaign in Fearful Symmetries comes oddly placed in the middle of the book. In ‘Fearful Symmetries’ the Investigators begin as newly initiated practitioners whose mentor is suddenly snatched away in front in of them by what is arguably Blake’s most well-known motif. Once the ritual is completed and now both initiated and incarnated as one of Blake’s Zoas, or primal spirits, they can begin following the clues in search of their mentor and discover who or what abducted her in front of their eyes. The plot thickens with a Lovecraftian antagonist, trips out into the English countryside and across seedy London (potential here for a crossover with Bookhounds of London and The Book of the Smoke, the London counterpart—or symmetry?—to The Book of the New Jerusalem), and in the second part or series, confrontations with England’s growing obsession with fascism. Just fifteen pages long, this is an excellent outline, which together with the background, should develop into a good campaign.

Rounding out Fearful Symmetries is a bibliography and a set of appendices that examine the ley lines network across London, worksheets, lists of alternate names for folkloric creatures, a glossary, a lengthy list of other occult books, and maps of the lay lines detailed earlier in the book. In particular, the examination of the ley lines network across London ties into the sample campaign and potentially turns Fearful Symmetries into a sequel to the earlier Bookhounds of London.

Physically, Fearful Symmetries is cleanly and tidily presented, its tight blocks of text broken up by Blake’s artwork as well as the liberal inclusion of quotes from Blake himself, plus William Shakespeare, H.P. Lovecraft, Aleister Crowley, Arthur Machen, and many more. This makes the book a lot easier to read given the wealth of information it provides. If there is a downside to the book, it is the lack of index, inexcusable given just how much information there is in Fearful Symmetries.

Fearful Symmetries is not a traditional campaign or setting book for Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying, let alone for Trail of Cthulhu. Of course, Pelgrane Press has form here with Dreamhounds of Paris, which combined Surrealism with the Dreamlands, but Fearful Symmetries is not really about the Mythos, although it is present, hidden under layers of Blake’s mysticism and the occult traditions practiced in the thirties. So the Investigators may never even encounter it. Nor is it a case of encountering a great ‘evil’ and thwarting its plans necessarily, as is the usual in a campaign of Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying, but rather of restoring and rebuilding an ideal. This is Blake’s Albion, the old Albion, as opposed to the ‘new’ Albion that the English fascists might be dreaming of, again, one more of the symmetries to be found in the supplement. One way in which Fearful Symmetries can be seen, especially in its emphasis upon Aleister Crowley’s Magick, is as a spiritual successor to Pagan Publishing’s The Golden Dawn.

Fearful Symmetries takes Trail of Cthulhu and the GUMSHOE System into the realm of occult investigative roleplaying, and whilst it does not leave Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying behind, it does prove that it is as dangerous as the Mythos. There is a bucolic richness to this realm, both in the mundane and the magical, that begs to be explored and appreciated, but there is complexity too, more so than will be found in a typical Trail of Cthulhu or Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying campaign. There is also, a sense of hope to Fearful Symmetries, a yearning for England to be a better place, and as dangerous and as difficult as the attempt will be, that the Investigators are rebuilding and restoring the country, directing her down a different path, rather than saving the country against an unknowable and uncaring foe. In hindsight, this can also be seen as restoring England as she once was spiritually and thus preparing her in time for the calamities that will come in the face of war.

As English as it can be, Fearful Symmetries is a superb set of tools for a very different type of campaign. Rife with fascinating parallels and contrasts, Fearful Symmetries presents a setting and campaign of occult investigative roleplaying that will be demanding of Keeper and player alike, but enable them to explore a rich world of the occult and the folkloric, becoming the country’s secret saviours as they master dangerous Magicks, face fascist bullyboys, and bring about a better future.

Miskatonic Monday #148: After the Rain

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: After the Rain: A Samurai Era Call of Cthulhu Scenario

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Kevin Konieczko

Setting: Warring States Era Japan

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Thirty-six page, 12.54 MB PDF

Elevator Pitch: Seven Samurai versus the Mythos

Plot Hook: Ronin hired to deal with bandits who have just turned more vicious
Plot Support: Staging advice, eight handouts including one map, six NPCs, and two Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# Suitable for Cthulhu Dark Ages

# Includes a primer on Sengoku Era Japan

# Detailed Investigators

# Teraphobia

Cons

# Involves a lot of combat

# Needs an edit

Conclusion

# Entertaining change of place in what is a samurai mini-sandbox supported detailed Investigators and historical background.

# Can be run using Cthulhu Dark Ages or Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition

Miskatonic Monday #147: Taken for Granite

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: Taken for Granite

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Jade Griffin

Setting: Jazz Age Vermont

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Thirty-eight page, 11.84 MB PDF

Elevator Pitch: Invasion of the Ringing, Singing Rocks

Plot Hook: Graniteville turns strange in the Fall
Plot Support: Staging advice, six handouts including one map, six NPCs, and one Mythos monster.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# First part of a series

# Solid plot

# Good artwork

# Decent small town investigation

# Petraphobia

# Phonophobia

Cons

# Forced failure of a skill roll?

# Needs a careful read through to understand the plot

# Underdeveloped in places

# Slightly underwritten plot

Conclusion

# Strange behavior in a small town reveals a weird menace from outer somewhere in a decent little scenario.

# Scenario hindered by unclear explanations in places and a slightly underwritten plot

Miskatonic Monday #146: Ravishing Beauty

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: Ravishing Beauty

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Dr. Benjamin Will

Setting: Italy, 64 C.E.

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty page, 1.41 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Sometimes the walls are given a will

Plot Hook: A stay at a wealthy villa reveals the nastiness of the owners
Plot Support: Staging advice, four pre-generated Investigators with backgrounds, three maps, six  NPCs, and three Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Plain.

Pros

# One session scenario for Cthulhu Invictus

# Unpleasant NPCs

# Pleasing sense of claustrophobia

# Decent pre-generated Investigators

# Inventive use of the representation of myth

# Easy to move to elsewhere and elsewhen in the Roman Empire

# Potential campaign starter

# Sportaldislexicartaphobia

# Automatonophobia

# Artophobia

Cons

# Underwritten primary NPC interactions

# Includes scene where rape and sexual assault is a possibility

Conclusion

# Claustrophobic scenario which makes inventive use of the representation of myth

# Solid scenario for Cthulhu Invictus that can be worked into a campaign or used as a campaign starter

Miskatonic Monday #145: Octopus Tag

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: Octopus Tag

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Ronny Anderssen

Setting: Modern Day

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty-Six page, 21.71 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Squid Game versus the Mythos

Plot Hook: Can you survive the horrors of the game?
Plot Support: Staging advice, eight NPCs, six handouts, one map, one Mythos artefact, and one Mythos monster.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# Definitely survival horror!

# Inspired by Squid Game

# Nicely done NPCs

# Some NPCs you want to die

# Make the NPCs playable Investigators for interesting dynamics

# Almost endless supply of replacement Investigators

# Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi

# Chapodiphobia

# Ludophobia

Cons

# Inspired by Squid Game

# Unwinnable

# As a one-shot, needed pre-generated Investigators

# Some NPCs you want to die

# Every game needs careful study and staging

# Keeper needs to prepare ready supply of NPCs and names

# Keeper needs to prepare ready supply of new Investigators

Conclusion

# Bonkers, ultimately unwinnable game (or series of games) of survival horror that will grind the Investigators down and scour their Sanity.

# Reality Television or Black Mirror-style horror infused with the Mythos for a nasty one-shot that will bring out the worst (and the best) in the NPCs and Investigators.

Miskatonic Monday #144: The Time Shadow Over Darnesville

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: The Time Shadow Over Darnesville

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Scott Cox

Setting: Jazz Age USA

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Ten page, 2.35 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Invasion of the Mind Snatchers

Plot Hook: “Look, you fools, you’re in danger! Can’t you see?! They’re after you! They’re after all of us! Our wives, our children, everyone! THEY’RE HERE, ALREADY! YOU’RE NEXT!”
Plot Support: Four NPCs, one Mythos tome, and no Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Decent.

Pros

# Short two-three hour scenario

# Suitable for one Investigator and one Keeper

# Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow Out of Time’

# Easy to adapt to other time periods and settings

# Xenophobia

Cons

# Needs a slight edit

# Superfluous Spot Hidden rolls

# Primary antagonist could be in two places at once

# Underdeveloped in places

# Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Shadow Out of Time’

# Darnesville undeveloped as a setting

# No maps

# No Psychology rolls?

# Underwritten NPCs

# Insufficient alienness

Conclusion

# Potentially decent one Investigator/one Keeper scenario undone by by underdevelopment in terms of location and the portrayal of the NPCs.

# For a scenario dealing with alien invasion, The Time Shadow Over Darnesville simply lacks a sense of paranoia or the alien.