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Monday 17 July 2023

Miskatonic Monday #207: A Place Just For Us

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—

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Charles Huysman

Setting: Modern day
Product: One-shot
What You Get: Eighteen page, 2.89 MB Full Colour PDF

Elevator Pitch: “When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” – C.S. Lewis.
Plot Hook: Going home means coming home to play...
Plot Support: Staging advice, two NPCs, and one map
.
Production Values: Reasonable.

Pros
# Bucolic horror
# Non-Mythos horror scenario
# Flexible storytelling elements
# Suitable for small groups
# Easy to adjust to other time periods
# Fennecaphobia
# Xylophobia
# Ludophobia

Cons
# No clear explanation of the plot
# Underwritten set-up and town description
# Non-Mythos horror scenario

Conclusion
# Bucolic hometown horror which takes the Investigators back to their childhoods
# Underwritten set-up leaves Keeper with development to make play easier

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