Miskatonic Monday #246: Time’s Prisoners

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: Time’s Prisoners

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Stephen K. Stein

Setting: Regency-era South Atlantic

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Twenty-six page, 10.17 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some doldrums are deadlier than any Navy man can imagine.

Plot Hook: “Trapped in the past, no escape from reality.”
Plot Support: Staging advice, seven pre-generated Investigators, ten NPCs, two handouts, four Mythos artefacts, and seven Mythos creatures.

Production Values: Reasonable

Pros

# Elder Thing in a top hat

# Sail into danger and out again adventure!

# Easy to run

# Cannibals and zombies, oh my!

# Chapodiphobia

# Teraphobia

# Kinemortophobia

Cons

# Elder Thing in a top hat

# Sidequest left for the Keeper to develop

Conclusion

# Elder Thing in a top hat. Is this not a good enough reason for you?

# Straightforward, sail into danger and out again, easy to run adventure