Miskatonic Monday #240: Beyond the Veil of Dreams: Susupti

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: Beyond the Veil of Dreams: Susupti

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Byron the Bard

Setting: 1980s Arkham

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fifty-nine page, 1.79 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Sometimes the missing disappear for a reason

Plot Hook: A missing persons case leads into strange research and encounters with desperate people
Plot Support: Eighteen handouts, eight maps, ten NPCs, one Mythos artefact, and one Mythos creature.

Production Values: Plain

Pros

# Modern Lovecraft Country scenario

# Very detailed investigation

# Very detailed backstory

# Would work as a ‘Night at the Opera’

# Oneirophobia

# Somniphobia

# Antlophobia

Cons

# Never actually defines the nature of the threat

# Needs an edit

# Very detailed backstory

Conclusion

# Highly detailed investigation that threatens to overwhelm the Keeper with information whilst leaving the real threat undefined

# Potentially interesting combination of Indian mysticism and the Mythos