Dangerous Diaspora

When Malcolm Donnaughy, an aspiring Boston politician with links to Irish nationalism is found decapitated in his back yard, followed by Michael Cyr, a New York journalist who wrote about the Irish War for Independence, hoping for a peaceful resolution, and then, Corinna Franz, a German immigrant in Boston, questions are asked. In the fractious and often hot tempered debate has ardent nationalism turned into a bloody vendetta for one faction against all others? Or is there something else going on. It is set in late 1920 in Boston and New York, and points between, as the USA stands on the brink of tremendous change in the aftermath of the Great War. As a result of their contributions to the war effort, women have already received the vote following the passing of the 19th Amendment, but many other groups campaign, raise funds, and foment for radical change. None more so than amongst the Irish diaspora in North America. As the Irish War of Independence rages on the other side of the Atlantic, the disparate groups amongst the Irish nationalists cannot agree on what they want exactly, even though they may share a common cause.

This is the set-up for The Wild Hunt: A Race Across the North-Eastern U.S. to Confound an Ancient Imported Evil, a scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, published by Stygian Fox Publishing. It is set against a backdrop of radical change and often radical activism that the scenario takes the time to explain, not just for the benefit of the Keeper, but also for the player as several of the pre-generated Investigators are activists—radical and otherwise. Further, these activist roles are represented by some of the new Occupations included in The Wild Hunt, whilst others, no less political, represent the establishment. The political Occupations include the Activist, the Political Animal, and the Political Machine Lieutenant. The more mundane Occupations consist of the Bootlegger, the Knocker-Upper, literally someone who goes round the city waking people up by knocking on their windows, the Messenger/Runner, the Performer, the Pinkerton Agent, Prohibition Agent, and Travelling Salesman. The only outré Occupation is the Occultist. Some of these are new, others are variations upon those found in Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition.

Setting up the scenario in terms of the Investigators requires some decisions to be made by the Keeper. Some of the pre-generated Investigators are members of law enforcement, some are activists or political operators, others are journalists or connected to the book trade. Each is connected to the investigation in some way and the ten are equally divided between Boston and New York. Some care is required to get them involved and working together, especially if they come from different cities.

Once set up, the scenario proper begins with the discovery of Corrine Franz’s dead body, perhaps even by one of the Investigators. After this, the investigation begins to clip-clop along in a timely fashion, Corrine’s ex-student, turned book thief, toy boy boyfriend (and likely thief from the bookshop owned by one of the pre-generated Investigators) providing the first clues, leading to the dirtiest speakeasy ever (really, it is under a coke plant) and onto New York’s Book Row. Key to continuing the investigation is learning the names of one or more activists connected to what turns out to be an extreme wing of the Clan na Gael, a fundraising organisation dedicated to the establishment of an Irish free state. Once the names are known, the investigation can swing into high gear and multiple lines of inquiry open up. This includes tracking their activities before and after the Great War, its members having been very busy in the last two years. The Investigators may even have the aid of other Irish nationalists embarrassed at quite what these extremists are doing in the name of the cause.

Ultimately, the Investigators will have enough information to have some idea of what the Irish nationalists-turned-cultists have been trying to do and what they might have unleashed. It is possible for the Investigators to stumble into the final scenes, which will involve a confrontation with the cultists and then what they have summoned, but hopefully by the time they do so in the back woods of Massachusetts, they will have at least learned enough information to have a good idea what is going on. And what is going on, as the title of the scenario suggests, is that the cultists are attempting to summon and harness something out of Celtic myth as a means to aid the Irish nationalist. Of course, this being a Call of Cthulhu scenario, this has not gone well and now, the cultists are suffering the consequences, scared, almost mad, but coherent. Facing the summoned threat is challenging, again, dedicated research should be enough to forewarn and perhaps, even forearm the Investigators.

The scenario is very well supported. The clues and links are made clear, the NPCs are nicely detailed, and there are lengthy sections devoted to library research in both Boston and New York, and there are detailed write-ups of the Mythos tomes that appear in the scenario. There is also a handful of new Mythos spells too. The various handouts are very well done and do include a puzzle that the players may have to work out.

The Wild Hunt is not a Mythos scenario per se, but rather that its monstrous antagonists are a Mythos interpretation of Celtic myth, one that the scenario’s human antagonists believe too much in and fall foul of. This is then layered out over the American north-east of New York and New England, taking in a little of Lovecraft Country along the way, from the heights of academia to the lows of the dirtiest dives imaginable, and then out into the swamps. Around this is built a rich, meaty investigation that will be really enjoyable to conduct with numerous interesting NPCs for the Keeper to portray—even the minor ones. The jazz trio of Black American NPC investigators deserve not just a mention, but scenarios of their own, suggesting a link to Harlem Unbound, whilst there are links to Masks of Nyarlathotep in the scenario, and thematically at least to Cthulhu Ireland. The scenario is not dissimilar to The Order of the Stone: A Horror Mystery in Three Parts, which could even be run as a thematic sequel to The Wild Hunt.

Physically, The Wild Hunt is pleasantly presented. The layout is clean and attractive, though it could be tighter in places, and the maps are well done. What stands out is much of the artwork, done in pastels that gives it a distinctive look reminiscent of Edward Hopper.

The Wild Hunt: A Race Across the North-Eastern U.S. to Confound an Ancient Imported Evil explores a side of its default period rarely explored in Call of Cthulhu. Its presentation of activism and especially Irish nationalism is maturely handled, though warrants the ‘For Mature Gamers’ label on the cover. This is a mature scenario, with a strong emphasis on the investigation before the horror is confronted, mixed with an enjoyably unhealthy dose of politics.

The Shadow of Scandal

The London Spiritualist Society is threatened with scandal! Just three weeks ago, one of the society’s junior members died in the library under strange circumstances and if word got out, its austere and respected reputation as an upright and proper organisation with an interest in the occult and the burgeoning spiritualist movement would suffer greatly. Such is the worry that this will come to pass, that the board of the society has decided that the incident should be investigated properly and fully with the aim of confirming that the society itself was not to blame and that no suspicion of impropriety can be attached to the society. The investigators are of course to be discreet themselves, whilst also bringing to bear their experiences in dealing with the occult and the outré. So begins The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller, a short two-act scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. It is published by Stygian Fox Publishing, best known for the anthologies Things We leave Behind and Fear’s Sharp Little Needles: Twenty-Six Hunting Forays into Horror, as well as New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition, which marked the return of a classic. As written, it is intended to be compatible with the publisher’s Hudson & Brand, Inquiry Agents of the Obscure, a Victorian Era setting supplement, published in 2017 when there was no edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight in print. However, in 2025, there is, and The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller can be run with just Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and then with the fourth edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight, and perhaps a little easier now than it was with Hudson & Brand, Inquiry Agents of the Obscure.

The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller begins with the Investigators at the headquarters of the London Spiritualist Society. They can already be members or even associates, but they should all have some experience with spiritualism and the occult and certainly acquired a reputation for discretion. They are informed that three weeks before, a trio of younger members broke in the society’s library and attempted a ceremony, one in which the board member believes they attempted to summon some malevolent spirit. At the end of the ceremony, one of the three was dead, a second was so traumatised he had to be hospitalised in an asylum, and the third resigned from the society. Each of the three represents the Investigators’ opening lines of inquiry. Of course, one of them is dead, although the Investigators will be told where his grave is, but the other two, Sir Peter Wahlmesey and Miss Sarah Mulberry can be visited and both will recant what happened during the ceremony, though with varying degrees of reluctance. Miss Mulberry can be interviewed at her flat, whilst Sir Peter has been institutionalised for his own good. Pleasingly, the scenario actually points out that he is receiving—by standards of the day—very good care at the asylum, and further, the scenario nicely emphasises the fragility of his current state rather than it actually being horrified.

Although the Investigators can learn a certain amount from both participants in the ceremony, very little of this pertains to subsequent events and what pushes the Investigators to investigate further in the second act does feel like a deus ex machina, an intervention signposting where they should go. This comes after a very violent encounter with a horse and carriage which points to the Investigators to the home of the man killed during the ceremony, Richard Keye. This is a small mansion, but one which has been turned into half a slaughterhouse, half haunted house, one marked with some classic horror house motifs, such as something lurking in the bathtub or body parts strangely protruding from the walls. Again, much like the encounter in the asylum, these are nicely underplayed and in some cases, benign in nature and intent, if not outcome. There are some nicely creepy scenes and encounters throughout the house, but ultimately, the scenario funnels the Investigators into a final confrontation with the threat at the heart of the scenario.

Physically, The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller is short and tidy, neat little hardback like the publisher’s earlier Nightmare on the Necropolis Express. It is done in the style of a penny dreadful, though with some colour artwork, some of which is quite decent. The map is clear and easy to use, whilst the book does need an edit in places.

If The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller presents its horror stoutly enough, it wavers when it comes to its other themes, that of impropriety and scandal. With the society of the Victorian Era, there is plenty of scope for it within the scenario, primarily due to the death in the library of the London Spiritualist Society. However, The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller does not explore or really detail what happens if information about the death becomes more widely known. Of course, the scenario was written before the publication of the new edition of Cthulhu by Gaslight, but the Cthulhu by Gaslight: Investigators’ Guide – Mysteries & Frights in the Victorian Age does include rules for reputation and suffering damage to it. Obviously, this is less of an issue if the scenario is run as a one-shot rather than being used in a campaign.

Although set in the Victorian era of Cthulhu by Gaslight, there is very little to stop the Keeper adapting The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller to other time periods, and whatever the time period, its brevity means that it is easy to slot into an ongoing campaign. Whilst it does not concern the traditional Cthulhu Mythos in any way, its themes of spiritualism and propriety are appropriate to the period, though it does not go as far as it could have done in examining the consequences of impropriety. Nevertheless, and although quite light on investigation, The Strange Case of the Shadow Traveller is an engaging one-session of body horror and possession.

Devoid

The crew of the Pavel Sukhoi, an Albatross Class Armed Explorer, has been assigned to the Rizpah-160B system on a search and recovery mission. Operated by mankind’s preeminent space exploration and transport company, Galilee Heavy Industry, the Pavel Sukoi is to enter orbit above Rizpah-160B, recover a probe, Mother Three, and then descend to the surface to recover the three landers it launched to explore the planet below—the comically named Sister Nancy, Sister Sledge, and Brother Ben. Galilee Heavy Industries does not like to waste equipment, but it also wants to keep the fact that Rizpah-160B is potentially habitable a secret. Whilst in orbit, the Pavel Sukhoi is also conduct further surveys, but the Player Characters are assigned the recovery missions. This is the set-up for Darkness in the Void – A Sci-Fi Call of Cthulhu Scenario Set on an Alien World, a scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition published Stygian Fox as part of its ‘Cthulhu Tomorrow’ line.

Unfortunately, Darkness in the Void – A Sci-Fi Call of Cthulhu Scenario Set on an Alien World is spectacularly uninteresting. To begin with, the plot, such as it is, is little more than series of mechanical rolls and skill checks to see how well the Player Characters recover the lost pieces of technology, enlivened by alien species of tree-like hunters which will attack the Player Characters, who are expected to run away. The scenario calls the Player Characters Investigators just as you would in any other Call of Cthulhu scenario, but the scenario does not call for any real investigation. The scenario is written for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, but does not involve any of the Mythos. Of course, there have been plenty of scenarios published for Call of Cthulhu which do not involve the Mythos and it is perfectly acceptable to have a non-Mythos horror scenario for the roleplaying game, but to not make that fact clear until fourteen pages into the scenario when discussing the rewards and repercussions? Rewards which include Sanity gains when there is no Mythos involved? Similarly, there is no scope for interaction or roleplaying either, since whilst six pre-generated ‘Investigators’ are provided with the scenario, they lack roleplaying hooks or hints as to the relationships between them which might have engendered or encouraged roleplaying.

Worse, Darkness in the Void completely fails to follow through on the promise given in the blurb on its back cover. It states, “The planet holds mysteries and terrors the likes of which they have never dreamed of, or experienced in their worst nightmares.” There are no mysteries whatsoever in the scenario, and whilst being attacked by an alien species, might be described as a terror, it is such a raging cliché that it will probably bore both the Keeper and her players. Some possible mysteries—the other regions of the planet might hold other horrors and treasures, the Pavel Sukhoi might detect a strange alien signal or remnant of an alien civilisation, are suggested under ‘Further Adventures’, but why promise them on the back cover if the scenario is not going to deliver and simply leave them for the Keeper to create?

Worse, there is an interesting setting behind Darkness in the Void, one which involves Galilee Heavy Industries’ links to the Mythos. Like everything else which might be labelled ‘interesting’ in Darkness in the Void, it is only hinted at. Salo’s Glory, another Science Horror scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition published by Stygian Fox, addresses it in more direct fashion and does involve the Mythos.

Besides its thin plot, Darkness in the Void includes basic deck plans of the Pavel Sukhoi, details of the various pieces of equipment the Player Characters will use throughout the scenario, new skills for the Science Fiction setting, stats for various NPCs and two alien species, and the six pre-generated Player Characters. The illustrations are at least decent, especially of the pre-generated Player Characters, In fact, they may actually be the best thing about Darkness in the Void. Otherwise, Darkness in the Void is poorly written and developed, intermittently edited, but on the plus side, the layout is decent and it is in colour.

Darkness in the Void – A Sci-Fi Call of Cthulhu Scenario Set on an Alien World might be written for Call of Cthulhu, but it is not a Call of Cthulhu scenario. It is at best—and it should be made clear that there is nothing in this scenario which can be described as ‘best’—a Science Fiction scenario with a plot that is not only paper thin, but so much of a cliché, it would have been labelled trite at the dawn of the genre. How a scenario so unremittingly boring and uninvolving could have been foisted upon Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition beggars belief. Avoid at all costs, and if you have bought it, seriously, not only ask for your money back, but ask for compensation for your time and effort. Stygian Fox should be paying you to read this scenario, not the other way around.

Darkness in the Void – A Sci-Fi Call of Cthulhu Scenario Set on an Alien World is the perfect reason why DriveThruRPG.com needs an ‘unbuy’ button.

Mythos & Misdirection

Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death begins with a problem. The anthology is a collection of scenarios for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition from Stygian Fox Publishing, previously known for two other collections, Fear’s Sharp Little Needles:Twenty-Six Hunting Forays into Horror and the highly regarded Things We leave Behind. What its back cover blurb states is that the book is, “Seven modern era adventures of mystery and death taking investigators through a nightmare of unexpected outcomes, horrific dilemmas, and extreme cosmic horror.” However, the problem is that this statement is both inaccurate and misleading, and it completely fails to tell the prospective purchaser and Keeper what Occam’s Razor is. This problem is compounded by the complete absence of an introduction, which might have explained what Occam’s Razor is and what Occam’s Razor is not, and the key idea behind the anthology. It is not until the reader is fifteen pages into Occam’s Razor and at the end of the first scenario that it becomes clear what the anthology is and what the key idea behind it is. Which really is too late to discover, especially when the blurb promises the prospective purchaser and Keeper “extreme cosmic horror” and does not ‘exactly’ fulfil that promise.

Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death, published following a successful Kickstarter campaign, is an anthology of scenarios which involve the mundane rather than Mythos horror. In this they adhere to the principle of ‘Occam’s Razor’ that when faced with competing theories or explanations to a problem, the one with the fewest complications and thus the simplest is to be preferred. In fact, there is no fantastical horror involved in the scenarios in the anthology. So, no vampires or werewolves, let alone the Cthulhu Mythos. Instead, a pack of rabid dogs rather than werewolves (or Ghouls), murder rather than lake monsters (or Deep Ones), and mental illness rather than stalking (or cultists). However, in each case, the author provides options and suggestions in a ‘Must Have Mythos’ sidebar as to what Mythos threat might be added to make each scenario more of a traditional scenario for Call of Cthulhu. That though, would be undercut the point of the anthology, which would be to misdirect the players and their Investigators. To have them chasing hither and thither in search of a Mythos threat or solution to a situation, only for them to miss the obvious, but ultimately realise that the mundane solution can be just as horrifying.

Besides sharing mundane solutions with Mythos options, what the majority of the scenarios in Occam’s Razor share is a hook. Five out of the seven involve missing persons cases, which quickly becomes repetitive and means that whether running them using the mundane solution or the Mythos solution, the Keeper cannot use them one after another. Similarly, four out of the seven involve college students, and that too has a similar effect. All seven though are quite short, offering no more than a session or two’s worth of play, and all are really nicely detailed, the author having done a decent job of explaining each scenario’s plot and clues and ramifications and how each investigation should play out. Even the simplest is well thought through and this shows on the page. The author also adds advice and suggestions on how to run or stage each scenario in sidebars that are in an addition to the usually fulsome ‘Must Have Mythos’ sidebar. The scenarios in the anthology are all set in the modern day, so mobile phones and the Internet all feature fairly heavily, and it will probably be a good idea if at least one Investigator possesses a decent Computer skill—there are a lot of passwords to crack in the seven scenarios.

The anthology opens with ‘A Whole Pack of Trouble’. The parents of Kyle Alexander, a college freshman, believe that he has gone missing, but cannot persuade the campus or local police department that this is the case. Both believe that he is simply away on a break, but following the clues from his dorm room leads the Investigators out into the back wilds where they find Alexander’s car outside a long-abandoned asylum. So, the questions are, what was Kyle doing out there and where is he now? The solution here is a feral dog pack, which presents a genuinely nasty threat once the animals gain the Investigators’ scent.

The second scenario is ‘Eye of the Beholder’ and involves the second missing persons case in the anthology, again from a college. Amy Langan is an art student and once her movement is traced, she was last seen at a local art museum. The question is, where did she go after that? This is a constrained scenario, confined to the four walls of the museum, which has the scope to inject an unhealthy dose of the Mythos via a seemingly random art exhibition. This seems rather overdone in comparison to the mundane solution behind the disappearance. Whether the Keeper adds the Mythos or keeps the scenario mundane, it is possible to circumvent either and very quickly bring the scenario to a conclusion.

‘Frozen Footsteps’ takes the Investigators to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the trail of a friend who failed to turn up for a regular lunch meeting. The friend is known to be an amateur scholar of the occult, so something must have caught his interest… Unfortunately, this is not an interesting scenario in itself, with or without the addition of the Mythos content. What sets this scenario apart is the wintery nature of the setting and time of year, and that the antagonists are actually more proactive than others in the scenarios in the anthology. Of course, the friend needs to be added to the campaign prior to the scenario to really work.

Fortunately, ‘Dark and Deep’ is much more interesting in almost every way. In a nod to the author’s own filmic interests, the Investigators receive—or are alerted to the existence of—what appears to be an exert from a snuff film, in which a young woman appears to be attacked by a monster in the waters near a lighthouse. Perhaps the monster could be a Deep One? There is an engaging plot to this scenario and plenty of potential for good roleplaying, and that is even before the Keeper thinks of adding the suggested Mythos content. Should she do so, this adds another level of engaging plot and the motivations of the Mythos threat actually fit the situation ever so neatly. Of all the scenarios in Occam’s Razor, ‘Dark and Deep’ is the one easiest to use in a standard Call of Cthulhu campaign without the Mythos feeling shoehorned in.

The scenarios return to college for ‘Visions from Beyond’ after one of the investigators receives a late-night telephone call from a young man who looks up to the Investigator and takes an interest in the Investigator’s occult-busting activities. The young man is distraught and upset, babbling about recent activities he has been involved in, but then the telephone goes. What has the young man been up to and where is he now? The Investigators must deal with the young man’s fraternity and the campus police before grasping some idea of what is going on… When the antagonists find out, they have a nasty way of turning on the Investigators and then everything gets really freaky! This scenario is nasty enough to not warrant the inclusion of the Mythos, and if it is, there would really be very little difference between the Mythos threat and the mundane one. The scenario needs some set-up beforehand, adding the young man as an NPC to the Keeper’s campaign. This is likely to work better here than in the earlier ‘Frozen Footsteps’, as the interaction with the young man brings an emotional immediacy to the scenario.

The most radical of the scenarios in Occam’s Razor is ‘The Watchers’. A young woman, Linda Lopez, hires the Investigators because she believes is being followed and her apartment is being watched, including by a tall shadowy figure. Of all the scenarios in the anthology, the solution to the situation in ‘The Watchers’ is the both the most mundane and certainly the saddest. This is because her fears are unfounded because she is mentally ill and suffering from schizophrenia. The scenario is designed to teach reckless Investigators and their players a lesson or two in not rushing into the situation and jumping to conclusions. Adding the Mythos to ‘The Watchers’ would ultimately undermine this intent, let alone the fact that the Mythos would not add anything of interest either. The treatment of the mental illness and the symptoms of schizophrenia are reasonably well handled, but there is no denying that ‘The Watchers’ has a brand of horror all of its very own, which makes for an uncomfortable scenario with potentially a difficult subject matter for some players and controversial for others.

The last scenario in ‘A Cleansing Flame’ goes back to college where an astronomer friend of the investigators is found burned to death. Does it have something to do with his research or is there something else going on here? As the Investigators tries to find out the truth, one of their number comes to the attention of someone who always seems to remain elusive and just out of the corner of their eye. Is this person related to the victim’s work or not, and just what is their interest in the Investigator? This is not an easy investigation and many of the NPCs will be unhelpful or simply difficult to deal with. In comparison to the other six scenarios in the anthology, ‘A Cleansing Flame’ is a looser affair and not as tightly structured or plotted, so it likely to require more time to play and more input from the Keeper. The scenario’s climax—as the author makes clear—also has the potential to kill all of the Investigators. Also, like some of the other scenarios in the anthology, adding the Mythos to ‘A Cleansing Flame’ does not add anything to its horror.

Rounding out Occam’s Razor is a series of newspaper articles which the Keeper can develop scenarios from herself or link to other adventures, especially those also published by Stygian Fox Publishing. The anthology also comes with a set of pre-generated Investigators, the owner and staff of the Sandings Investigative Agency. These are for the most part, decent enough.

Physically, Occam’s Razor is a handsome looking, but slim tome. The book is nicely illustrated throughout and the cartography is artfully done, arguably the best to appear in a Stygian Fox Publishing in some while. Not all of the illustrations match the maps—or vice versa—though, and the editing is uneven in places.

There have been anthologies for Call of Cthulhu before which present scenarios without the Mythos. Bumps in the Night from Pagan Publishing is one, as are Blood Brothers and Blood Brothers II, both from Chaosium, Inc. Occam’s Razor joins them, but wants to have its cake and eat it by including options to involve the Mythos, and in all too many cases, the presence of the Mythos does not add much, if anything at all, to a scenario. This is primarily because the presence of the Mythos is simply changing the motivations behind the antagonists’ actions, the exception being the best scenario in the book proving the point. ‘Dark and Deep’ stands very well up on its own, but the addition of the Mythos adds plot rather than motivation.

The collection though is not as easy to use because of its repeated hook of missing persons cases and the mundane nature of the antagonists. Rather than use them one after another, the scenarios need to spread across a campaign if their central conceit—that not all horrifying situations have a Mythos solution and the Investigators need to be reminded of that on occasion—is to work. Nevertheless, Occam’s Razor: Seven Modern Era Adventures of Mystery and Death presents a set of serviceable scenarios, with at least the one standout, but all seven are solidly plotted and well written.

Scares in Scotland

Station ‘S’: An Anomaly in Scotland Heralds Doom for All Mankind is a scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. Published by Stygian Fox, it is set in Scotland during World War Two, and can therefore be run as part of a World War Cthulhu campaign—soon to be updated to Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition by Chaosium, Inc.—or with some effort adapted to play using the latest version of Achtung! Cthulhu from Modiphius Entertainment or with Delta Green: A Roleplaying Game of Lovecraftian Horror and Conspiracy. The scenario is short and can be run as a one-shot or a convention scenario and comes with its own set of four pre-generated Investigators. It is clear in its inspiration, Stanislaw Lem’s novel, Solaris, and consequently, the resulting scenario shares with it an unnerving uncertainty and a sense of secrecy which means that the horror is more personal and thus more subtle. Consequently, Station ‘S’ is a vastly superior to the previous scenario from the publisher set during World War Two, the execrable The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War. With clues and elements tied into the scenario’s four pre-generated Investigators, the scenario will be more challenging to use in an ongoing campaign, but it can be done.

Station ‘S’: An Anomaly in Scotland Heralds Doom for All Mankind opens with a briefing. Contact has been lost with a secret research station on the banks of a saltwater loch in Scotland. There a team had been set up to study a strange anomaly in the loch—the appearance of a German U-boat, missing its crew, but almost nothing has been heard from the team in the last week and even then, the messages have been odd. The Investigator team consists of an Army officer, an Army non-commissioned officer, a historian, and a scientist (curiously no-one from the Royal Navy is sent considering a submarine is involved) and they are to make contact with the staff at Station ‘S’, determine their status, and then bring both them and any technology from the U-boat back. Although the Investigators have a few files to read, information is scant and considered top secret, so the real investigation begins as the team vehicle crests the top of the rise overlooking the isolated research station and the loch.

The Investigators find the base in disarray, with just a handful of staff still present, but desperate and deranged. As the Investigators explore the ramshackle base, they begin to find anomalies and things that that should not be there, things that only they know. These secrets are intentionally seeded throughout the research station and the U-boat, with notes for the Keeper to add more and enhance the sense of mistrust and uncertainty that pervades what is a mini-sandbox. Exploring the meagre facilities is a challenge in itself, especially the U-boat, and by the time the Investigators have been everywhere, the strange anomalies and secrets are likely to have scoured away some of their Sanity.

The scenario is by design opaque, especially the threat at the heart of it. In some ways it is a locked room situation, the Investigators trapped in the valley unless they can find the solution to getting out. One primary means is provided, which is in keeping with the nature of the Mythos threat, itself equally as opaque, although the players and their Investigators are free to come up with their own and several are suggested to that end. This pushes the scenario away from the type of story where the monster is unstoppable and will kill all of the Investigators unless they determine and devise the monster’s one weakness. This is not to say that death is impossible, but it is not the main thrust of the scenario.

The scenario is also primarily player and Investigator led, the Keeper provided with a range of prompts and keys scenes in what is a relatively short affair. In fact, in comparison to the earlier overblown and decidedly underwhelming The Foulness Island Vanishings, the design and writing of Station ‘S’ is distinctly succinct. The succinct design combined with the nature of the Mythos threat does mean that the scenario requires a careful read through by the Keeper and it does mean that it needs a degree of development in places. The Investigators will need some background sheets prepared and the Significant People, Meaningful Locations, and Treasured Possessions are not marked on all of the Investigator sheets. The deckplans of a U-boat will be useful, there being only the one, rather plain map included with the scenario. One missed opportunity in the scenario is the Nordic or Viking thread, which is not as developed as it could be. Having a Viking longship sail of the mist on the loch or a Viking warrior loom out of the mist ashore would add to the weirdness happening at Station ‘S’.

Physically, Station ‘S’ is neat and tidy. It needs a slight edit in places, but is in general, well presented and accessible. A huge improvement on previous releases.

Station ‘S’: An Anomaly in Scotland Heralds Doom for All Mankind is succinct and scary, an atmospheric one-shot perfect for a night’s unsettling horror. This is the best original scenario which Stygian Fox has put out in quite a while.

Befouled & Bamboozled

Unless the Keeper wants a scenario set in the United Kingdom early in World War II for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, there is simply no other reason for her to purchase or even want to run The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War. The scenario has the potential to be adequate and provide an evening or two’s worth of reasonable horror roleplaying, nothing more, nothing less. However, such pretensions to adequacy are completely betrayed by the complete lack of editing, wayward development, and fixation upon high production values. High production values which are not always achieved. Yet if the Keeper is running a campaign set during World War II and is willing to overlook the scenario’s annoyingly silly failings and do the development necessary to get its to fit her campaign, then there is potential in The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War. Until then, she should go and find a better scenario. There are plenty of those to find.

The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration ina Time of War does not start well. Published by Stygian Fox, it cannot decide where Foulness Island actually is—is it on the northeast, east, or southeast coast of England? Its set-up is a relative gone missing, so beloved of Call of Cthulhu scenarios—and that is fine, but it adds another missing person’s case, as well as other set-up options, but never really develops these other options. It adds map after map to the point where you really can say that there are too many maps. Whilst the floorplans are all fine, there is not a single good map of the island itself. There are maps of one village, but not the other, and the map of the one village does not quite match the description given in the text, and arguably neither the numbered map for the Keeper or the unnumbered one for the players need to be as large. Then again, does the scenario really warrant a global map of the territories held by the Axis and Allied powers in 1941, let alone two copies of it? There are period photographs included of one the missing persons, but arguably they do nothing to add to the scenario. Then almost immediately as the scenario starts, it refers to an NPC that the Keeper is not told about and does not appear until a fifth of the way into the scenario. The writing all too often descends into travelogue as if describing where the Investigators are going, rather than providing simple descriptions of places that they can explore, and the Keeper can easily relate to her players. Further, for a scenario set in England in World War II, there are elements missing which would have added to its verisimilitude, in particular rationing and the presence of the army or the Home Guard. The scenario is set on an island and there is an image of a pill box included in the scenario, even if only one a mile away on the mainland. So why no army or Home Guard? Surely, they would have been stationed on the island in case of invasion. Lastly, there is a swastika used on the inside front cover, but the Nazis play absolutely no role in the scenario, so why is it there?

The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War is set on Foulness Island, off the coast of Essex during 1941. Conscription has been imposed for the first time and it is suggested that the Investigators be above the age limit. One of the Investigators receives a letter from his aunt Lidia, who is staying on Foulness Island, but then hears no more. So he makes the journey out to the island to find out if she is okay. Other options include a private detective hired to locate one Harold Frazier-Snipe, who is also missing, or a holidaymaker or an ornithologist or an archaeologist. These options are relatively undeveloped, but potentially could be developed into pre-generated Investigators complete with motivations to be visiting the island. Foulness Island itself is flat, exposed to the sea, with marsh along the coast. It is notable for the Broomway, a low-lying path that connects the island to the mainland, but parallels the island for much of its length and is submerged at high tide. The inhabitants are in the main friendly and helpful where possible, and there is plenty of scope for the Investigators to explore the island. Perhaps following up on other disappearances, a dark legend, or visiting the standing stones at Foulness Point on the north end of the island. An appearance by a strange pig—along with other clues—points to the other end of the island and here the Investigators will encounter even stranger things going on. Ultimately, the Investigators will have a showdown with the antagonists behind it all, which can lead to their being captured, dealing with another very helpful if alien fellow prisoner, or an out and out free-for-all.

Physically, The Foulness Island Vanishings is very much hit and miss. The hits are some good handouts and reasonable artwork, as well as some decent floor plans. The misses include some poorly handled artwork and the plethora of unnecessary maps. Then of course, there is the writing and the layout… The former shows no indication of having seen sign of an editor, whilst the latter suffers from a lack of attention.

The Foulness Island Vanishings is a relatively short scenario, one which can be played in one or two sessions. There is pleasing sense of bucolic isolation and fear of invasion during time of war, and the scenario does add a local legend into the mix fairly easily. With the base plot in hand, once she has taken the time to understand what is going on—it is simple, but the book does not make that easy—the Keeper can easily do the development to turn into something more interesting. As a one-shot, develop the possible set-ups for the Investigators from those suggested, add some details about life under wartime, draw a better map of the island, and so on. Then again, why should she? Surely, this should have been done for her.

A recent review of a scenario from the Miskatonic Repository was criticised because it used the word ‘bamboozled’ to describe how the reviewer felt in discovering what was under its very fine cover. It is hard not to feel exactly the same way with The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War. The outwardly high production values of the scenario will bamboozle the potential purchaser and Keeper, only for her to find it befouled by its lack of editing and development. It would not have taken much effort to develop into a reasonable scenario, but as presented, The Foulness Island Vanishings: A Corrupting Infiltration in a Time of War is inexcusably inadequate.

Mythos on the Miskatonic

New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley was published in 2008 by Miskatonic River Press. Under the aegis of the late Keith Herber, this anthology would breathe new life into the revered Miskatonic Valley setting for Call of Cthulhu and new life into Call of Cthulhu itself at a time when the venerable roleplaying game’s publisher was not able to fully support it. Both this anthology, and its sequel, More Adventures in Arkham Country, would provide a platform for a new generation of new authors for Call of Cthulhu, many of whose previous works had appeared in Chaosium, Inc.’s long-running series of Miskatonic University Library Association monographs. In terms of content and look, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley was inspired by the original series of supplements dedicated to Lovecraft Country that Chaosium had published in the nineties, but it had its own look that was fresh and clean, and overall, it felt like the hobby had a publisher for Call of Cthulhu who actually liked Call of Cthulhu once again. Sadly, Miskatonic River Press closed in 2013, its fifth and last book released being Tales of the Sleepless City. All five of its Call of Cthulhu supplements would go on to become collectible.

Fortunately, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition, was published in 2020, this time by Stygian Fox. The British publisher has updated the anthology to Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition and upgraded it to be full colour, with new maps, handouts, and illustrations, and in hardback format. The new edition has also increased the scenario count from the original’s six to seven, with the inclusion of an all-new scenario from Seth Skorkowsky. This is a collection which will take a Keeper and her players up the Miskatonic Valley, from Arkham to Dunwich and back again via Foxfield to dream-spoiled Kingsport and sea-sodden Innsmouth—the latter the new addition—and so provide both with delicious slices of dark and dangerous horror.

New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition opens with a poignant forward from Tom Lynch, the head of Miskatonic River Press, before presenting his ‘The Reeling Midnight’. This is the first of two Arkham-set scenarios in the collection, a piece of louche detective legwork which emphasises interaction and investigation rather than academia. The Wilcoxes are worried that their son, Eugene, is hanging around with the wrong crowd and attending scandalous parties hosted by Hungarian nobility émigrés. They fear the daughter is a gold digger and hire the investigators to look into both their son’s activities and hers. The scenario opens up with a big set piece at one of the parties—the first problem being to get an invitation—which gives the players and their Investigators lots of attendees to interact with, and the Keeper a fun cast to portray. The investigation is nicely detailed and the scenario has a nasty sting in the tale, but ‘The Reeling Midnight’ is primarily a criminal investigation which the Mythos seems to slide into rather than necessarily be the driving force. It possesses a pleasing physicality and would work as an introduction to the Mythos along the Miskatonic Valley.

The second Arkham-set scenario is ‘Wasted Youth’ by Christopher Smith Adair. Again, this possesses both a physicality and a nasty, if not nastier, sting in the tale than ‘The Reeling Midnight’. The physicality here differs though, for it involves a ragged, often grueling chase across the countryside forcing the players to roll checks for skills that their Investigators are unlikely to possess given the typical intellectual, technical, or pugilistic bent of most. This forms the climax of the scenario which begins with Arkham being beset by a rash of dangerous juvenile delinquency, including acts of murderous violence and vandalism. The investigation is made all the more challenging by the fact that it involves children as both victims and protagonists, this also its sting in the tale, as it means directly confronting them. Children being involved may mean it is difficult to get the Investigators involved, but once they are, this is an effectively horrid affair.

Oscar Rios’ ‘Spirit of Industry’ takes the Investigators to Dunwich on a ghost hunt in the company of a journalist (who appeared in the earlier ‘The Reeling Midnight’) in search of a scoop—an old sawmill is reputed to be haunted and there is a reward for proof of the existence of ghosts. This is not necessarily a Mythos scenario in the classic sense, being more like the Stephen King story, ‘The Mangler’, in that the sawmill is possessed and malignly so. However, this is set against the pervading sense of bucolic unease which suffuses through Dunwich, whether from the town’s all too knowing inhabitants or the all too unknowing ones. The scenario is likely to involve two brutal, and potentially, bloody climaxes, but even offers the possibility of a happy ending.

A happy ending is unlikely in ‘Proof of Life’ by Keith Herber. This is set in the small town of Foxfield—introduced here in the pages of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley—where a disagreement between local farmers and the town supervisor over whether or not to log nearby forests has escalated into blows and a death threat! Investigation reveals that the town supervisor is hiding something and even acting oddly, but the Investigators will need to navigate their way between the town’s factions and interview many of the townsfolk to get this far. This is a type of story which has been told before, that of a Mythos entity or race protecting its long-held presence in an area which annoying ape descendants are now encroaching upon. Fortunately, the scenario never quite tips into cliché, but the motivations of the Mythos threat feel underwhelming given the length to which they go to protect their interests and the monstrous effect this has on the town supervisor and his family.

Oscar Rios’ second contribution to the anthology is ‘Malice Everlasting’, which is the first of two scenarios set in Kingsport, City of Dreams. Like the earlier scenario, this is a tale of possession and possession of a teenage antagonist, but it comes with a classic Lovecraftian ‘revenge from beyond the grave’ plot. There is nothing childish about this villain as he unleashes his revenge upon the descendants of those who hunted him down and executed him in the seventeenth century by striking them suddenly blind. As the Investigators get closer to making this connection, they come to the attention of the antagonist, who begins to hinder their progress to varying degrees—as both eager ally and vengeful villain. The weakest point of the scenario is when that connection is made, and it could have been better handled. Otherwise, this is an excellent combination of investigation and desperate action which climaxes with bang—a summoning of Y’golonac. Unlike ‘Wasted Youth’ where the Investigators are likely to have proof of the antagonists’ actions (or at least witnesses), here they do not, and ultimately, they will be faced by a dilemma which if they get wrong will land them in prison—or worse.

The second scenario set in Kingsport is ‘The Night War’ by Kevin A. Ross, which takes full advantage of the port’s reputation as the city of dreams. Inspired by the works of William Hope Hodgson, the Investigators begin experiencing seemingly realistic nightmares in which they fight in the trenches of the Western Front, night after night, men and women, quickly followed by the rest of Kingsport. The action switches back and forth over the course of several days and nights, the Investigators spending their nights surviving and hunting for clues in this unreal landscape haunted by monsters unknown on the battlefield, and their days following up on those clues in the hope that what they find out will help both them and the people of Kingsport back in the nightmare. A darker and grander depiction of a Dreamlands than that typically seen in Call of Cthulhu, its subject matter and its staging, imposing and perhaps heavy-going rather than delicate, may be off-putting for some players. Seen though as a desperate mission to save a man’s mind in somewhere the Investigators either never thought they would return to or even thought they would have experienced, and the scenario is an interesting take on what a Dreamlands scenario could be like.

New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley ended with ‘The Night War’, but New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition has one more scenario. This is ‘A Mother’s Love’ by Seth Skorkowsky, which brings crime to Innsmouth. The Frog Gang, led by Tobias ‘Frog’ Sisk, has robbed a local bank and hightailed it into his hometown of Innsmouth, with the local police and Federal agents on their tail. The officers of the town’s police department are prepared to help—to an extent—but their main motivation is avoiding bringing further attention to Innsmouth and its secrets. Not the first time that crime has come to Innsmouth—it did that in ‘The Innsmouth Connection’ from Before the Fall, but to much lesser effect. ‘A Mother’s Love’ is a short, slightly strange investigation that will quickly lead to a blazing shootout between the Innsmouth Police Department, the Federal Agents, and the survivors of the Frog Gang. Of course, if the Federal Agents learn too much, it could turn into a shootout and clawfest between them and the Innsmouth Police Department (as well as others). Unlike the other scenarios in the anthology, ‘A Mother’s Love’ is best suited as a one-shot, perhaps as a prequel to Escape from Innsmouth, as it works best with one Investigator being a member of the Bureau of Investigation and so is more difficult to work into a campaign. ‘A Mother’s Love’ is punchier than most scenarios set in Lovecraft Country, but it has a nice sense of tension to it though, whether that is between the Federal Agents and the Innsmouth Police Department, or between what the players are likely to know and their Investigators otherwise.

Physically, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition is hit and miss, though more hit than miss. Behind the bland cover, the layout is clean and tidy. It needs a slight edit in places and the illustrations vary in quality, some of them bland and muddy, some of them decent, plus the internal cartography is more serviceable then characterful. Unfortunately, the colour artwork in this second edition does not have the charm of the pen and ink illustrations of the original. However, the regional cartography is decent, the handouts are excellent—especially the newspaper articles which are hidden in full page handouts, and town vistas of Arkham, Dunwich, Foxfield, Kingsport, and Innsmouth that preface their respective sections, are handsome indeed. Included in the new hardback is a set of six pre-generated Investigators (including one from my hometown) which again, are decently done and all on a new, alternate version of the Investigator sheet for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition.

New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley was the best supplement published for Call of Cthulhu in 2008. In fact, it was the best release for the roleplaying game since 2007’s Secrets of Kenya and 2006’s Tatters of the King. It gave a platform for new voices and new ideas for Lovecraftian investigative roleplaying and proved that the then new rash of third-party publishers could produce content that was mature and sophisticated. Not every scenario in New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley could be regarded as perfect in 2008, or indeed perfect with the publication of the second edition in 2020, but it was an audacious debut. New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, Second Edition returns that audacity to print, bringing back support for Lovecraft Country just as it did in 2008.

Murder or Mythos?

A year ago, in the small town of Milo, Maine, thirty-year-old Alicia Thorne left Redd’s Bar and Grille after a few quiet drinks with casual friends. She never got home. The local police department investigated, but neither found her body or signs of a struggle. The number one suspect was, and remains today, her partner, Ben Facet. Public opinion then—and now—was that he kidnapped and murdered her. After all, he is known to be a recluse who collects strange books and manuscripts, who dresses in strange costumes, and practices all manner of sorcery and witchcraft. Who knows what goes on in the basement of the house that he shared with the missing woman? This is the background against which the Player Characters return to the town of Milo to celebrate their ten-year high school reunion. Everyone has an opinion upon what happened to Alicia, especially many of the women who attended high school with her and so will be at the reunion. The question is, what happened to Alicia, and did her partner, Ben, have anything to do with it?

This is the set-up for Whatever Happened to AliciaThorne?, a short scenario set in the modern day just north of Lovecraft Country for Callof Cthulhu, Seven Edition. Published by Stygian Fox, it can be played as a one-shot or as a campaign starter, and although there is advice on running the scenario as part of a campaign with more traditional Call of Cthulhu Investigators, Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is not really suitable for use in such a campaign. Ideally, the players will create new characters, in general with relatively ordinary Occupations and develop some background as to who they knew at high school and what they have been doing for the decade since they graduated. This will come into play during the first part of the scenario. 

Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is divided into two parts with an interlude in between. The first sees the Player Characters attend the reunion, an enthusiastic, if slightly down-at-heel affair. There is lots of scope here for interaction and roleplaying here—all to the music of the Player Characters’ youth, played very loud—with their former classmates, all of whom have their own backstories and post-school histories for the Player Characters to catch up with, as well as opinions of what happened to their former classmate, Alicia. With drinks flowing, the conversation is easy and the other guests share their histories and opinions freely, without the need for the players and their characters to roll Charm or Persuade skill checks. As the event winds down, the Player Characters have a chance to reflect and consider what they have learned over the course of the evening over a nightcap. This forms the scenario’s interlude between the two parts of the scenario.

The Player Characters become Investigators in the second half when they begin making enquiries into the disappearance of Alicia Thorne, themselves. Milo is a small town and Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is a small scenario, so there are only a few places for the Investigators to look for clues—her family, her workplace, her last known sighting, and of course, her home. This also means investigating her partner, Ben. Whatever the police might say, both clues and local opinion point towards his involvement in his partner’s disappearance. 

When the Investigators do discover what has happened to Alicia, it is doubly shocking. Being a Call of Cthulhu scenario, Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? does involve the Mythos and being set in New England may suggest possibilities to veteran players of the roleplaying game and devotees of Mythos fiction. However, the other reason for its shock value is that the scenario does involve suicide. The scenario does carry a content warning, so a Keeper should be aware of this beforehand, and she should be aware of whether this would be a difficult issue for her players. An alternative option is included if neither the Keeper nor her players want to include this aspect in the scenario. 

Physically, Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is a short—just eighteen pages long—scenario. The thirteenth entry in Stygian Fox’s series of Patreon releases, it is well presented and well written. In fact, it is a huge improvement upon other entries in the series in terms of its presentation, and hopefully future releases will maintain this standard. 

Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is a surprisingly flexible scenario. It could easily be adapted to the Jazz Age of classic Call of Cthulhu or even the Purple Age of Cthulhu by Gaslight, but as written it would be easier to run at any time after World War II. Similarly, it is easy to shift in terms of location, with  somewhere near the coast being ideal. Designed to be played by between two and six Investigators, it can also be used as a campaign starter, a one-shot, a one-on-one scenario for a Keeper and single Investigator, and even as a convention scenario given its length. That said, if running it as a convention scenario, the Keeper will need to be up front about its themes. Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? would also work as a first scenario to introduce players to the Mythos and Call of Cthulhu, Seven Edition, again taking its mature aspects into account. 

As written there are no issues or problems with Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? It could though, have supported its flexibility with advice and suggestions for the Keeper. Whether that is moving it to a different time frame, running it for one player, or as a convention scenario. Some hooks to get each of the players and their characters involved would also have been useful too, not necessarily to Milo where their characters grew up, but to Alicia and her partner, Ben. This would not necessarily replace whatever details and background the players are encouraged to create and roleplay, but at least help if a player is short on ideas or the Keeper is preparing some pre-generated Player Characters. 

Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is a solid, straightforward investigative one-shot with plenty of scope for roleplaying and interaction. Plotted more like a movie mystery with a horrifying revelation and shock ending, Whatever Happened to Alicia Thorne? is an excellent scenario to run for those new to the Mythos and Call of Cthulhu. Veteran players may well be just a little too jaded.

 

Beyond the Sanity of the Solar System

Salo’s Glory is a near future Science Fiction scenario for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. The eleventh title in the ‘Fox Country’ series from publisher Stygian Fox, it is a one-shot designed for three to six players and be played in a session or two. Mankind has expanded and explored to the furthest reaches of the Solar System, and begun to go beyond. One such exploratory vessel is the Galilee Heavy Industries I.E.V. Tryphena. Here on the edge of interstellar space, the crew of the Tryphena come across not one, but four astounding mysteries. First is the presence of a ship identical to their own, also named the Tryphena, but powered down, seemingly abandoned, orbiting a cold planetoid. The second, third, and fourth consist of signals. One signal is the distress signal coming from the abandoned ship’s shuttle, the other two come from stone structures at the north and south poles of the planetoid. The question, what happened to the crew of the other Tryphena? Why did they abandon their ship? What exactly lies on the surface of the planetoid?

The plot of Salo’s Glory is all about the uncovering of its four mysteries. This is driven by two factors. First, by the curiosity of the players and their characters. Second by the directives of Galilee Heavy Industries which address the actions to be taken by crews under certain circumstances, many of which will occur during the scenarios. These will push the Player Characters to explore further, uncover first clues, then truths, and perhaps reveal what is going on. The plot is actually fairly simple and straightforward, though the Player Characters may not necessarily come to fully understand what is going on. The horror should build and build as the Player Characters push deeper into the mysteries, bolstered by the dark, the sense of isolation, and the alien nature of the situation.

Salo’s Glory is supported by extensive deck plans for both the old Tryphena and its shuttle, plus numerous handouts. The deck plans are done in a style similar to that of Traveller and are accompanied by good illustration of the ship which puts the deck plans in context. The handouts, consisting mostly of crew logs and Galilee Heavy Industries directives are disappointingly plain in comparison. The navigation readout for the planetoid is nicely done. The six pre-generated Player Characters which make up the crew of I.E.V. Tryphena nicely reflect a diverse range of backgrounds and genders, although there are similarities in their descriptions and the fact that they all talk with an accent, usually slight. The background for one or two of them is rather underwhelming, and perhaps the relationships and attitudes between the crew could have been developed a little further. The scenario also includes a list of the skills used throughout the scenario.

Physically, Salo’s Glory is generally well-presented. The artwork is good, the deck plans clear, with perhaps the only elements to really disappoint are the aforementioned handouts and the maps of the areas on the moon at the North and South Poles, which are plain in comparison to the rest of the book.

As a Science Fiction one-shot scenario for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, what Salo’s Glory does not have is Sanity rewards, although it does have suggestions as possible subsequent adventures depending upon the actions of the surviving Player Characters. Salo’s Glory is for the most part straight forward, easy to run, and player driven, and would make for a decent convention scenario if its pacing was sped up. Ultimately, Salo’s Glory is a short Science Fiction take upon At the Mountains of Madness which dials up its Cosmic Horror and sense of isolation against otherwise pedestrian horror elements.

Evil on the East Coast

The Darkness Over Eaglescar – A Modern Day Call of Cthulhu Scenario is the tenth scenario from publisher Stygian Fox. Although the title suggests that it is a modern-day scenario for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, it is actually set in 1999. It is also set in England’s north-east, in the fictional coastal town of Eaglescar. What this means is that it has a certain English seaside town ambiance that certainly British Keepers and players will enjoy. Despite the specifics of the setting, The Darkness Over Eaglescar can easily be adapted to the setting and period of the Keeper’s choice, whether that is the Purple Decade of Cthulhu by Gaslight or the Jazz Age of Call of Cthulhu, or indeed, updated to a more contemporary period. With some adjustment the scenario could be adapted to run using Delta Green: The Role-Playing Game.

Designed for roughly four investigators and to provide two sessions or so’s worth of play, The Darkness Over Eaglescar begins with the Investigators being contacted by an old friend, Georgina Angler. She believes that her teenage daughter, Cassandra, is in trouble, having become involved with some shady characters, and she suspects, drugs, as well, and wants the Investigators’ help in finding her. Georgina will point to one of the business owners on the esplanade as someone who might know more, and he indicates two further leads, one a local drug dealer, the other a sea front fortune teller. Both will point towards the Voice of the Machine, a local New Age cult run by Eleanor X. Researching her reveals that her parents were members of a seventies hippie cult, The Children of the Vortex. This cult was notorious for its drug dealing, the exploitation of its members, and ultimately, the stabbing and murder of its founder. Background on the cult can be discovered by research at the local library and Eleanor X herself, will contact the Investigators to reassure them that Cassandra is fine. However, the cult leader will not let them see the missing girl.

Ultimately, the Investigators will need to investigate the cult’s properties and possible links between The Children of the Vortex and the Voice of the Machine. The latter will probably involve the Investigators having to commit a couple of acts of breaking and entering, which presents its own challenges in a small town, suburban environment. In doing so, they will likely be involved in one or more violent confrontations, and perhaps rescue Cassandra.

In terms of its horror, The Darkness Over Eaglescar is a scenario with a very human face. The Investigators will not be confronting any of the traditional elements of the Mythos, and to be fair, not really confronting the Mythos directly, more its effects upon the members of the cult. This will come primarily in a pair of intentionally surprisingly violent encounters, but depending upon what the Investigators discover, they may be able to get hold of another means to thwart the cult—a more magical means.

The Darkness Over Eaglescar is a relatively short adventure and although the players and their Investigators do not know it, they are up against a time limit. The players will need to use their Investigators’ time with some care, but unless they really waste it, they should be able to conduct their inquiries with alacrity. In fact, there are few plot strands to follow in the scenario, so the given timeline could be effectively collapsed into a couple of days or so and the scenario run in a single session as a convention scenario. However, that would be quite tight in its plotting. The alternative would be to reduce the number of Investigators—the scenario could be played with just two and still work.

The scenario is decently supported with a handful of handouts, some of which are really very good. Likewise, some of the artwork is also very good. Similarly, The Darkness Over Eaglescar is a very good-looking scenario, but unfortunately, looks can be deceiving. The cartography looks good, but feels a little odd in the design of its two houses. Plus, why is there no map of the Eaglescar itself? Then there are several element crashes between the scenario’s images and handouts and the text. This is not enough to make the text totally unreadable, but it is unnecessarily challenging. In addition, and although it is not as bad in previous releases from the publisher, The Darkness Over Eaglescar is further indication that Stygian Fox Publishing is still very much in need of a professional editor.

Let down by disappointing production values, The Darkness Over Eaglescar includes a decent mix of investigation and interaction, as well as some surprisingly violent scenes—ones that if played in the scenario’s British setting, the Investigators will probably be unprepared and ill-equipped to deal with. A more than serviceable scenario, The Darkness Over Eaglescar neatly captures the faded ambiance of the British seaside town, but is flexible enough to be set elsewhere and else when.

Worriment on the Wirral

The once prosperous town of Thorston has fallen on bad times. Located on the Dee Estuary on the south side of the Wirral in the north-west of England, industrialisation and trade has passed the former fishing port by as the estuary silted up and merchant shipping favoured the city of Liverpool opposite the north side of the Wirral. Roads degraded, leaving only muddy tracks leading into the town, the railway station was torn down, and so the town was left isolated, at first declining, then mouldering and dilapidated, more and more of its sodden buildings abandoned. Apart from the few remaining inhabitants, Thorston has in more recent times become a haven for vagrants, drifters, criminals, and other ne’er do wells looking for refuge away from the authorities in the nearby cities of Chester and Liverpool. Whether locals or incomers, all of the inhabitants have learned to lock their doors at night or barricade themselves in, for it is not safe to be on the streets of the port after nightfall. As rumours grow of missing students and missing hikers on the nearby Heswall Dales and a missing church minister, the inhabitants of elsewhere on the Wirral shun Thorston more and more, claiming that there is a sign across the road into the town which reads, “Condemned. Stay clear for safety.” And so Thorston’s decline continues…

This is the state of Thorston, a town with history which goes all the way back to the Vikings, as detailed in Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee, which brings the Mythos to the northwest of England. Published by Stygian Fox Publishing for use with Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee is a combination of setting and scenario intended for use with the Hudson & Brand, Inquiry Agents of the Obscure campaign framework, but which would also work as part of a general Cthulhu by Gaslight campaign. It presents a location and  reason to enter what is known as ‘Fox Country’, essentially Stygian Fox Publishing’s equivalent to Lovecraft Country, but with a longer sense of history. To that end, Thorston is the equivalent of dread Innsmouth, yet despite it being a fishing port, it is not home to a mixture of Deep Ones and their hybrids, but rather a variation upon another Mythos race which has long co-existed with mankind, whilst the nearby Roman city of Chester as its answer to Arkham (although there is no obvious equivalent to Miskatonic University).

Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee can be broadly divided into four sections. The first explores Thorston, its history, its inhabitants, and its secrets. The second presents the nearby city of Chester, essentially a jumping off point for anyone investigating the Wirral and Thorston, whilst the third is the supplement’s scenario, ‘Supping with the Devil’. The fourth explains the mythology key to ‘Supping with the Devil’ and the town. With less than a hundred inhabitants, the supplement focuses on just a handful of locations and NPCs. These are primarily The Ship & Bowl, the town’s only inn and its proprietor, Maud, and Harris & Sons, and its proprietor, Daniel Harris, and what remains of the town’s only church, St. Hilda’s. Notably both possess and are connected by ‘Rows’, an architectural feature also found in nearby Chester, which consists of a covered pedestrian, but otherwise open walkway on the first floor, giving access to shops and other premises on the first floor, with other shops and other premises on the ground floor below. 

The description of Chester is relatively short, enough for Investigators passing through, but not staying for any length of time, and enough for the Keeper to flavour her portrayal of local NPCs. The NPCs in Thorston itself are actually all decently done, whilst the Mythos forces involved in the town and scenario nicely draw upon British and Celtic myth. Several hooks are provided to get any Investigators to Thorston, mostly revolving around missing persons. The scenario in the book though, ‘Supping with the Devil’, has them employed by Joshua Armitage, a wealthy Liverpudlian merchant who wants to develop Thorston into a seaside resort, complete with pier and promenade. He sends them into the blighted town to ascertain its condition and to get a feel for the place, having them stay a single night. The investigators will find the few inhabitants cold of manner and ill-disposed to talk, their rooms at The Ship & Bowl dank and unpleasant, and their sleep interrupted by door handles rattling and scratches at the window. During the day there are few people on the street, and strangely for a seaside town, an absence of seagulls. ‘Supping with the Devil’ is, in the main, an exploration scenario, the Investigators examining the few remaining buildings in the town, hopefully driven to examine more and more until some of its secrets are revealed—or at least hinted at, and the town’s dark side can react… Up until that point, the scenario is player-driven, but then the NPCs may come to drive the Investigators, perhaps necessary if the players and their Investigators simply decide that the best course of action is to flee. The Keeper may want to create a few more NPCs, in particular some of the vagrants, drifters, criminals, and other ne’er do wells who have taken refuge in Thorston. These can at least populate some of the seemingly abandoned buildings—which will also benefit from some window dressing too—and add colour, as well as their perhaps hinting at some of the mysteries and secrets in the town, falling prey to the evil present, perhaps foreshadowing events which might befall the Investigators…

Physically, Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee is engagingly presented. Done in full colour throughout, the cartography and illustrations are in general, well done throughout. Some of the maps are a little small, whilst others do not work as double-page spreads, and there are differences between the two maps of the town. However, Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee is let down by the writing—or rather by the editing. Parts of the text are overwritten and repetitive, and whilst there is an editor listed in the credits, there are no signs that Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee has actually been edited.

Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee is essentially Innsmouth and the scenario, ‘Supping with the Devil’, its equivalent of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth. As inspiration goes, that is no bad thing, but neither are they direct copies, for the differences in tone and scale—the town of Thorston and its inhabitants being smaller in scale give them a flavour and feel of their own. As does setting in the Purple Decade of Cthulhu by Gaslight. Plus, there is a sense of English squalor to Thorston and environs. Despite the disappointing lack of editing, there is a lot to like about Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but in entwining them with local myth to create an atmosphere that is both monstrous and English, Thorston, the Shunned Town on the Dee serves as an enjoyably rotten introduction to Fox Country.