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Monday 20 May 2024

Miskatonic Monday #283: The Last Dance of Lola Montez

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 David Waldron

Setting: Ballarat, Modern day
Product: One-shot
What You Get: Forty-three page, 11.64 MB PDF
Elevator Pitch: Who suffers for their art? The artist or the aesthete?
Plot Hook: Grief isn’t something to be exploited. Until it is.
Plot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators,
eight handouts, and three NPCs.
Production Values: Reasonable.

P
ros
# Engaging historically based scenario
# Opens with great roleplaying scenes
# Great historical handouts
# Decent period handouts
# Sanguivoriphobia
# Hemophobia
# Thanatophobia

Cons
# Designed for experienced Investigators
# Emotionally wrought scenario
# Overwhelms the Keeper with documents
# No maps or floorplans
# More Hammer Horror than Mythos scenario

Conclusion
# An emotionally charged wicked web of a scenario
# Narcissism and vampirism intersect in a tale of a Spanish dancer’s revenge

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