The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Grade: B-
Reviewed by Lisa Padol
Playtester: Joshua Kronengold

This is the first of three books of scenarios concerning the Shk'ryth, a race created from the only coherent thought of Azathoth. Apparently, it is inimical to humanity, but also a threat to Nyarlathotep, which may make for strange bedfellows in future scenarios.

The three scenarios in this book are set in the present day. They are intended as an introduction and as a break from the usual mythos adventure. The adventures are well constructed, despite a couple of problems, but I do not see that they are especially different from the usual adventure. Essentially, one replaces the mythos creatures with the Shk'ryth -- both the "standard" mythos adventure and the adventures in this book involve fighting the monster.

The first scenario, "Snowflake Valley", involves a storm which traps the PCs in the title location. There, as in the usual CoC scenario, they must put together clues to discover the nature of an ageless evil. This scenario is reasonably well done, although I am not sure how much fast talking a GM will have to do to justify the complete communications cut-off.

That is a minor nitpick, however. My only serious complaint is that the final confrontation is badly defined. The PCs have to decided how -- or whether to -- interfere in a magical duel. If they do not interfere, the text explains what will happen. However, it is likely that the PCs will help an aging circle of shamans against the villain. Unfortunately, the scenario gives no indication of how much help the shamans need before their spell is effective, and there are a couple of PC options that occurred to me at once, but clearly did not occur to the authors. My playtester suspects that any amount of effective interference is sufficient, but this is not actually stated in the scenario.

"The Madness of the Twilight Queen" is the most original of the three, and, for that reason, it is my favorite. It involves a vanished cult that is not what the PCs might expect, as well as a mysterious realm that is not the Dreamlands, although players and PCs may think otherwise. However, the final confrontation is as badly defined as that of "Snowflake Valley". The villain will attempt to destroy the PCs before they can cast a spell, but nowhere in the text could I find any indication of how long it takes to cast the spell! Despite this problem, my playtester enjoyed the scenario, appreciating both the plot twists and the carefully thought-out background.

"Stillness" moves the megaplot forward. The PCs are asked to find a vanished teenager. Nyarlathotep's agents are also trying to discover what is going on. While not as original as "The Madness of the Twilight Queen," this is the best written of the scenarios. It has a couple of lovely twists, and the final confrontation is well defined.

The layout of the book is clean, and the art does a good job of supplementing the text. The handouts are well done, although the text suffers from the usual editing and proofreading lapses that plague the rpg industry. One interesting feature is the use of boxed text explaining, in story form, what is happening offstage from the PCs.

Nocturnum Book One is not wildly innovative, but it contains decent scenarios. And, as my playtester noted, these scenarios are suitable for both beginning players and beginning PCs who do not have any reason to expect that they are dealing with the supernatural.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Nocturnum Book One: Long Shades
Author: by Darrell Hardy, Christian T. Petersen, and Andrew Warren, with additional creative input by Peter Monk Category: game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Cost: $19.95 Page count: 120 pages, perfect bound ISBN: 1-887911-62-6 Playtest Review by Lisa Padol on 09/15/98. Genre tags: Modern_day Horror Conspiracy Gothic	Grade: B- Reviewed by Lisa Padol Playtester: Joshua Kronengold This is the first of three books of scenarios concerning the Shk'ryth, a race created from the only coherent thought of Azathoth. Apparently, it is inimical to humanity, but also a threat to Nyarlathotep, which may make for strange bedfellows in future scenarios. The three scenarios in this book are set in the present day. They are intended as an introduction and as a break from the usual mythos adventure. The adventures are well constructed, despite a couple of problems, but I do not see that they are especially different from the usual adventure. Essentially, one replaces the mythos creatures with the Shk'ryth -- both the "standard" mythos adventure and the adventures in this book involve fighting the monster. The first scenario, "Snowflake Valley", involves a storm which traps the PCs in the title location. There, as in the usual CoC scenario, they must put together clues to discover the nature of an ageless evil. This scenario is reasonably well done, although I am not sure how much fast talking a GM will have to do to justify the complete communications cut-off. That is a minor nitpick, however. My only serious complaint is that the final confrontation is badly defined. The PCs have to decided how -- or whether to -- interfere in a magical duel. If they do not interfere, the text explains what will happen. However, it is likely that the PCs will help an aging circle of shamans against the villain. Unfortunately, the scenario gives no indication of how much help the shamans need before their spell is effective, and there are a couple of PC options that occurred to me at once, but clearly did not occur to the authors. My playtester suspects that any amount of effective interference is sufficient, but this is not actually stated in the scenario. "The Madness of the Twilight Queen" is the most original of the three, and, for that reason, it is my favorite. It involves a vanished cult that is not what the PCs might expect, as well as a mysterious realm that is not the Dreamlands, although players and PCs may think otherwise. However, the final confrontation is as badly defined as that of "Snowflake Valley". The villain will attempt to destroy the PCs before they can cast a spell, but nowhere in the text could I find any indication of how long it takes to cast the spell! Despite this problem, my playtester enjoyed the scenario, appreciating both the plot twists and the carefully thought-out background. "Stillness" moves the megaplot forward. The PCs are asked to find a vanished teenager. Nyarlathotep's agents are also trying to discover what is going on. While not as original as "The Madness of the Twilight Queen," this is the best written of the scenarios. It has a couple of lovely twists, and the final confrontation is well defined. The layout of the book is clean, and the art does a good job of supplementing the text. The handouts are well done, although the text suffers from the usual editing and proofreading lapses that plague the rpg industry. One interesting feature is the use of boxed text explaining, in story form, what is happening offstage from the PCs. Nocturnum Book One is not wildly innovative, but it contains decent scenarios. And, as my playtester noted, these scenarios are suitable for both beginning players and beginning PCs who do not have any reason to expect that they are dealing with the supernatural. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Nocturnum Book One: Long Shades