Miskatonic Monday #229: Deep-Seeded Secrets

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: Deep-Seeded Secrets

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Jade Griffin

Setting: Jazz Age Massachusetts

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fifty-four page, 12.87 MB PDF

Elevator Pitch: A stop-off leads to dual mysteries, either stinks or scares.

Plot Hook: Somewhere to stay for the night.
Plot Support: Staging advice, fifteen handouts including a set of floor plans and a map, six NPCs, and two Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# Potential sequel to Taken for Granite

# Potential addition for a Lovecraft Country campaign

# Advice and hooks included for one-shot use

# Decent handouts

# Two interesting mysteries

# Charming subchart activities

# Osmophobia

# Phasmophobia

# Thalassophobia

Cons

# Two good plot strands, but not designed to fully investigate both

# What if the Investigators want to climb down the well?

Conclusion

# Pleasing combination of the homely and the horror

# Interesting idea of two mysteries to investigate, but since only one can be investigated, the Investigators gain on one, but lose on the other.