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.

—oOo—

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