Miskatonic Monday #291: Fruit from the Dust

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: Flash Cthulhu – Fruit from the Dust

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Michael Reid

Setting: Oklahoma, 1936

Product: One-Location, One-Hour Scenario
What You Get: Eight page, 1.61 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: “Cherry trees will blossom every year; But I'll disappear for good, One of these days.” – Philip Whalen

Plot Hook: Is the tree growing in the Dustbowl a miracle?

Plot Support: Staging advice, three NPCs, and four pre-generated Investigators.

Production Values: Decent

Pros

# Short, sharp confrontation

# Fructopobia

# Dendrophobia

# Kerasiphobia

Cons

# Needs a slight edit

# Feels like the culmination of a fuller investigation

# Violence the likely outcome

Conclusion

# Short, sharp bloody hour of horror over hope

# Not effective as other Flash Cthulhu titles because the Investigators start from outside the situation rather than from within and are less emotionally invested