Miskatonic Monday #286: Hospital Island

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: Hospital Island

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Jane E Cooper

Setting: Jazz Age England

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty-three page, 12.36 MB PDF

Elevator Pitch: Hospital horror in the fog of isolation

Plot Hook: A mysterious telegram calls for help.
Plot Support: Staging advice, four handouts, three maps, five NPCs, and eight Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Plain

Pros

# Can be run using Pulp Cthulhu: Two-fisted Action and Adventure Against the Mythos

# Easy to adapt to other times

# Nice sense of isolation

# Combines the cosy and the consternation

# Mycophobia

# Homichlophobia

# Autophobia

Cons

# Needs an edit

# Are an Investigator and the prime villain related?

# Feels like a solo adventure for a party of Investigators

Conclusion

# Atmospheric, isolated sense of foreboding and something lurking.

# Solid scenario that needs a polish to make it stand out.