Miskatonic Monday #252: The Bright Blue Demon

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: The Bright Blue Demon

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Bryce Kelly

Setting: Modern Day Nevada

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Thirteen page, 3.45 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: “In this darkness I see colors…” – Gamefreak
Plot Hook: Radiation tourism turns to ash... 

Plot Support: Staging advice, four NPCs, one handout, two maps, and five Mythos creatures.

Production Values: Plain

Pros

# One to two Investigator one-shot

# Violent horror in the Nevada mountains

# Pleasing sense of isolation and weird environment 

# Potential ghost hunt gone wrong scenario

# Eremophobia

# Phasmophobia

# Radiophobia

Cons

# Needs an edit

# NPCs feel underwritten

# No pre-generated Investigator(s)

Conclusion

# Violet horror in the Nevada mountains

# Unsettling sense of isolation and weird environment undermined by underwritten NPCs.