The Complete Dreamlands
Sourcebook for Call of Cthulhu
Chaosium Inc.
[sterling]??? - 192pp
As well as the horror yarns for which he is justly famed, H P Lovecraft
produced stories inspired by Lord Dunsany's fantasy romances. For me,
the "Dreamlands" stories are inferior stuff and, straining for epic effect,
Lovecraft's execrable prose style is even more apparent. Never mind.
Chaosium published a Dreamlands supplement back in '86 which
promptly languished; now it's been rewritten, developed and attractively
repackaged.
The Dreamlands themselves are a sort of parallel dimension that mystical
characters can reach while asleep (or anyone else via certain portals, spells
or magic artifacts) - the world is a topsy-turvy blend of Conan's
Hyperborea and Alice's Wonderland (with a touch of
Rupert Bear thrown in), all given a bit of edge by the brooding
undercurrent of the Cthulhu Mythos. We get a taster in the form of a
travelogue, adapted from HPL's Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. It matches
the Master's style perfectly - ie. it's atrociously written. Then there are
maps and a gazetteer of this fantasy realm. NPC profiles follow, lots of 'em,
including the stats for a couple of cats and people with names like
Slant-Eyed Merchant Of Ill-Repute (presumably just Slanty, to his
friends). Dozens of monsters get turned into statistics and rules are given
for getting into and out of the Dreamlands, new Spells, Grimoires and Gods and
the procedure for creating Dreamlands characters (a sort of simplified
Runequest really).
Two scenarios conclude: Lemon Sails is a bit so-so but Pickman's
Student has got some really grotesque touches to it and nicely illustrates
how the Dreamlands can cross over with a conventional CoC
investigation.
As a fantasy realm, the Dreamlands have some excellent macabre touches,
alongside stuff that's pretty juvenile or just plain barmy. I can't really see
GMs setting up a Dreamlands-only campaign, since much better (and more
detailed) fantasy settings are available - and from Chaosium too, like
the Young Kingdoms of Elric or good old Glorantha. As an add-on
to your existing CoC campaign, there's potential here. The Dreamlands
have a superheroic high fantasy feel, which players jaded on madness and
paranoia might appreciate once in a while, and since you can't be outright
destroyed in your dreams, the Keeper can throw in some outrageous run-ins with
Great Old Ones that would bring the campaign to a sudden and bloody
conclusion back in the Waking World. Investigating mysteries through the
Dreamlands also provides another option for players sick of Library Use
rolls.
Overall: The Dreamlands aren't to everyone's taste and this sourcebook
falls slightly short of Chaosium's usual standards (the interior art,
for instance, is less than inspiring). Nevertheless, if your Call of
Cthulhu campaign's in a rut, this will enliven it no end and if your one of
those who likes Lovecraft's Dreamlands stories, then here's everything
you need to incorporate them into play.
Review by Jon Rowe
