Miskatonic Monday #139: Sorrow in Tsavo

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: Sorrow in Tsavo

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Bridgett Jeffries

Setting: Tsavo, Kenya

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Forty-three page, 7.21 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: What horrors lie behind the ‘The Ghost’ and ‘The Darkness’?

Plot Hook: Stop the lions. Protect the railway. Save the Empire.
Plot Support: Six pre-generated Investigators, ten handouts, staging advice, four NPCs, and three Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Decent.

Pros

# Scenario for Cthulhu by Gaslight

# Middle management followed by madness

# Interesting development of a historical incident

# Surprisingly personal staging advice

# Includes a genuine villain to hate!

# Mini-sandbox one-shot

# Even includes a FAQ

# Ailurophobia

# Skatzochoirophobia

Cons

# Middle management followed by madness

# Involves slavery and colonialism and suicide

# Complex conclusion

# No NPC stats

Conclusion

# Nicely placed historical mini-sandbox that turns the hunters into the hunted as the Investigators try to prevent a corner of the empire falling to malign influence.

# Solid one-shot for both Cthulhu by Gaslight and convention play