Miskatonic Monday #143: Apartment 71

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: Apartment 71

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Leo Milani

Setting: São Paulo, Brazil, Monday, June 20th, 2016

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Thirty page, 6.44 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some homes just seem to swallow you up...

Plot Hook: Mysterious noises, a leak, an abandoned apartment. What else is the Métro condo association to do but check it for safety?
Plot Support: Four pre-generated Investigators, four handouts, staging advice, three NPCs, and one Mythos monster.

Production Values: Plain.

Pros

# Scenario for modern day Call of Cthulhu

# Set in Brazil

# Could be adapted to elsewhere

# Short focused one-shot

# Creepy atmosphere

# Enjoyable sense of place

# Gerontophobia

# Gerascophobia

# Oikophobia

Cons

# Needs an edit

# A little short

# Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic needed

# Keeper will need to do a little research about Brazil

Conclusion

# Tightly focused scenario with pleasing sense of place and decrepitude that would be lost if set outside of Brazil.

# Creepy one-shot that is too short for convention play.