Miskatonic Monday #181: A Quest for Power

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: A Quest for Power

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Ryan Graham Theobalds

Setting: Modern day Lancashire, United Kingdom
Product: Scenario

What You Get: Thirty-Four page, 60.76 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: These fracking tremors will positively terrify you!

Plot Hook: A fracking controversy leads to an alternative investigation. 

Plot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators, two NPCs, four handouts, one Mythos tome, one Mythos spell, one Mythos artefact, and two Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Decent.

Pros

# Enjoyably contemporary confluence of events

# Geologically-based affair

# Good staging advice for the Keeper

# Detailed plot

# Mythos on Mythos interaction

# Seismophobia

# Ovaphobia

# Claustrophobia

# Tremophobia

Cons

# No context for non-UK Keepers and players

# Needs an edit

# The villain should be insane!

# Unnamed Mythos tome

# No female Investigators

# Investigators incomplete

# Investigators could be better developed

Conclusion

# Densely plotted scenario built around interesting use of contemporary events. 

# Geological one-shot which needs development in places that can be fixed by the Keeper