Miskatonic Monday #188: Ten.

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: Ten.

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: 초ㅑ

Setting: A room
Product: One-hour scenario

What You Get: Seven-page, 892.62 KB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Co-operation is the key to survival, sacrifice the key to getting out

Plot Hook: Awake with a stranger, a vending machine with ten holes, and a countdown...

Plot Support: Staging advice and recommended listening.

Production Values: Decent.

Pros

# Two-on-one, one Keeper, two Investigators, one session scenario

# Claustrophobic confrontation with consumerism

# Terrifyingly nihilistic hour with ubiquitous street furniture 

# Confronts the Investigators with horrible choices

# Weirdly Japanese one-shot

# Nyctophobia

# Apotemnophobia

# Eisoptrophobia

# Zidongshophobia

Cons

# Needs a slight edit

# All but impossible to add to a campaign

# Non-Mythos scenario

Conclusion

# Short, but weird, creepy, and ultimately sharp dose of J-Horror

# Starkly bleak set-up leads to a simple set of choices as to who acts, who survives, and who works together