Monday, 3 June 2024

Miskatonic Monday #288: The Calling of the Blood

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 Jonas Morian

Setting: Modern day Sweden
Product: Scenario
What You Get: Twenty-seven page, 32.62 MB PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some origins are left a secret...
Plot Hook: The opportunity to learn your Swedish heritage reveals too much.
Plot Support: Staging advice,
six pre-generated Investigators, three handouts, four NPCs, and one Mythos monster.
Production Values: Swedish

P
ros
# Austere one-session folk horror inspired by Midsommar
# Straightforward and easy to run
# Potential convention scenario
# Hemophobia
# Syngenesophobia
# Nyctomania

Cons
# Linear
# Takes a while for the horror to build

Conclusion
# Straightforward, easy to run, underplayed horror scenario
# Austere one-session folk horror

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