The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Warning! The following review contains spoilers – Keepers only!

Fatal Experiments is a collection of three scenarios for Call of Cthulhu. The first two could easily be completed in one evening, while the third could take several sessions to complete.

The book opens with a collection of unusual firearms, complete with a foldout page of illustrations. While it's doubtful that some of these would ever see the light of day – or rather, dark of night – in a CoC adventure, it's still fun to see write-ups of such quirky weapons as the duck's foot pistol. I can guarantee, however, that if your players take a gander at this list, every one of'em will want a trench gun of their very own.

The first adventure, "Tatterdemalion", contains such intensely creepy writing that I had to remind myself I wasn't reading a horror novel. "On-screen" acts of violence are kept to a minimum in favor of eerie atmospherics, making this a good choice for a small group of characters. It's also billed as being a good choice for inexperienced investigators, but considering the amount of Mythos know-how needed to make success likely, I'm rather dubious about this claim. The investigators are invited to a party by a wealthy eccentric to see the premier of his new stage production. That's the good news. The bad news is, it's a production of The King in Yellow…

Next up is "The Songs of Fantari". An Italian nobleman calls the investigators to his Mediterranean island to look into the mysterious disappearances of local fishermen whose boats have been found adrift without signs of trouble. (Three guesses as to who or what is responsible.) This tale offers more possibilities for action than does "Tatterdemalion", although the investigators had best be darn clever if they want to get to that point -- otherwise, they'll likely find themselves the long-term lab rats of some rather scaly scientists. Also unlike the previous adventure, this one is definitely a good choice for those new to the game.

The last adventure, "The Lurker in the Crypt", is a Lovecraftian's darkest dream come true. It's got it all: misty graveyards, foul tunnels, mind-blasting tomes, a family with a dark secret, mindless zombies, not-so-mindless zombies, wailing spooks, bone-gnawing ghouls by the dozen, really wicked witches, tentacular monstrosities, and, last but certainly not least, a cameo by a certain amorphous Great Old One. (There's even a link to the Dreamlands, albeit in a not-very-pleasant way for the characters.) Don't even think about running your investigators through this one until they've picked up a whole heck of a lot of Mythos savvy. If run and/or played incorrectly, this could be the CoC equivalent of a dungeon crawl; treated as such, it'll be one short adventure. The writer wisely advises Keepers to go slowly, introducing the plot a little bit at a time, perhaps as the investigators work some other case. On the other hand, if they play it smart, and especially if ! they know when it's time to "call for backup", the characters could end up with a collection of Mythos knowledge and souvenirs to put Miskatonic U. to shame.

This is one of those wonderful Chaosium books that was so much fun to read, I could never play any of the scenarios and still consider my money well-spent. If you can find a copy, then by all means, throw out a pseudopod and grab it!

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Fatal Experiments
Author: Richard Watts, Penny Love, Kurt Miller, Russell Bullman, Gregory W. Detwiler, Kevin A. Ross, L.N. Isinwyll, William Dunn Category: game Company/Publisher: Chaosium Inc. Cost: $18.95 Page count: 126 ISBN: 0-933635-72-9 Capsule Review by Dan Davenport on 07/24/98. Genre tags: none	Warning! The following review contains spoilers – Keepers only! Fatal Experiments is a collection of three scenarios for Call of Cthulhu. The first two could easily be completed in one evening, while the third could take several sessions to complete. The book opens with a collection of unusual firearms, complete with a foldout page of illustrations. While it's doubtful that some of these would ever see the light of day – or rather, dark of night – in a CoC adventure, it's still fun to see write-ups of such quirky weapons as the duck's foot pistol. I can guarantee, however, that if your players take a gander at this list, every one of'em will want a trench gun of their very own. The first adventure, "Tatterdemalion", contains such intensely creepy writing that I had to remind myself I wasn't reading a horror novel. "On-screen" acts of violence are kept to a minimum in favor of eerie atmospherics, making this a good choice for a small group of characters. It's also billed as being a good choice for inexperienced investigators, but considering the amount of Mythos know-how needed to make success likely, I'm rather dubious about this claim. The investigators are invited to a party by a wealthy eccentric to see the premier of his new stage production. That's the good news. The bad news is, it's a production of The King in Yellow… Next up is "The Songs of Fantari". An Italian nobleman calls the investigators to his Mediterranean island to look into the mysterious disappearances of local fishermen whose boats have been found adrift without signs of trouble. (Three guesses as to who or what is responsible.) This tale offers more possibilities for action than does "Tatterdemalion", although the investigators had best be darn clever if they want to get to that point -- otherwise, they'll likely find themselves the long-term lab rats of some rather scaly scientists. Also unlike the previous adventure, this one is definitely a good choice for those new to the game. The last adventure, "The Lurker in the Crypt", is a Lovecraftian's darkest dream come true. It's got it all: misty graveyards, foul tunnels, mind-blasting tomes, a family with a dark secret, mindless zombies, not-so-mindless zombies, wailing spooks, bone-gnawing ghouls by the dozen, really wicked witches, tentacular monstrosities, and, last but certainly not least, a cameo by a certain amorphous Great Old One. (There's even a link to the Dreamlands, albeit in a not-very-pleasant way for the characters.) Don't even think about running your investigators through this one until they've picked up a whole heck of a lot of Mythos savvy. If run and/or played incorrectly, this could be the CoC equivalent of a dungeon crawl; treated as such, it'll be one short adventure. The writer wisely advises Keepers to go slowly, introducing the plot a little bit at a time, perhaps as the investigators work some other case. On the other hand, if they play it smart, and especially if ! they know when it's time to "call for backup", the characters could end up with a collection of Mythos knowledge and souvenirs to put Miskatonic U. to shame. This is one of those wonderful Chaosium books that was so much fun to read, I could never play any of the scenarios and still consider my money well-spent. If you can find a copy, then by all means, throw out a pseudopod and grab it! Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)