Miskatonic Monday #186: Swamp Song

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.

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Name: Swamp Song: A 1920s Scenario for Call of Cthulhu

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Keeper Doc

Setting: 1920s New Orleans
Product: Scenario

What You Get: Forty-four page, 9.11 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: The dangers of the demon drink will drive you to your deaths...

Plot Hook: A missing author pulls the Investigators into the French Quarter of New Orleans and a ghoulish plot.

Plot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators, 

three NPCs, four handouts, one map, one non-Mythos tome, one non-Mythos creature, one Mythos tome, one Mythos spell, and one Mythos monster.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# Detailed investigation

# Nice evocation of the period and louche culture

# Fun NPCs for the Keeper to portray

# Small, but flexible options included for the Keeper

# Easy to shift to Cthulhu by Gaslight
# Easy to add to a Tales of the Crescent City: Adventures in Jazz Era New Orleans campaign

# Ligyrophobia

# Taphephobia

# Methyphobia

# Zerevophobia

Cons

# Cartoonish NPC portraits

# Underwritten explanation for the Keeper upfront

# Location floorplans would be useful

# Plot not necessarily obvious to the Investigators

Conclusion

# Woozy investigation where New Orleans nightlife and occult underground intersect that is easy to add to a campaign

# Unclear plotting makes the scenario harder to prepare and the plot may never quite become clear to the Investigators