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Devourers in the Mist
This adventure begins with the investigators on the beach of an uncharted island after a shipwreck. Dealing with matters of basic survival soon loses priority to battling the Mythos horror nearby. The players may also discover the fate of a famous female aviatrix (the writeup does not explicitly use Amelia Earhart, although there is a sidebar about using her for a more realistic feel). As long as the group accepts the deus ex machina of the wreck (and, for campaign play, the convenient rescue after dealing with the threat), the scenario is fine, though I prefer the rest of the collection.
Obviously, what works against using this scenario in a campaign is mitigated by the ease of running this as a one-shot or convention game. To that effect, there are pregenerated characters provided for immediate use, as well as a canned horrible ending.
Shanghai Bullets
If the investigators were going to Shanghai in the last scenario, they will be rewarded with this one. Of the four in the book, this is probably the most typical CoC adventure, as the heroes will hunt a deadly Mythos weapon amidst a populace with million motives for murder. The investigation begins when a French priest, probably with ties to One or more of the PCs, is found dead in the city. What impresses me most about this adventure is the concise yet useful information about Shanghai. Information for customs, housing, languages, and locations is so well-written it could provide a reference for any other game system. Ideas for potential contacts in the underworld and intelligence communities in Shanghai are also excellent.
Given the number of people willing to use the macguffin, there is enough bare-bones material to stretch this scenario out to mini-campaign length, or integrate it with other adventures such as Masks of Nyarlathotep. For a game set a bit later, characters may have to deal with the Japanese invasion in 1937. My only complaint involves the similarity of the initial death here and in the next mystery.
Death Laughs Last
Which is a shame, because this mystery is a doozy. Stateside, the investigators are trying to discover who killed a rich Bruce Wayne-esque acquaintance. While they seek the truth, they will discover that the deceased shares more with Wayne than mere riches (and even with spoiler warnings and the hint above, the answer is too cool to reveal). Once again, there is a way to insert a real-world person (3 of 4 scenarios score points on this point).
There are two niggling details with this scenario worth mentioning. First, the game world needs to be able to accommodate a masked crimefighter (one with low-key powers, but still a stretch for any but the pulpiest of games). Second, after the punch of solving the mystery, the Mythosy denouement is a bit too long, and might feel tacked on. Neither complaint outweighs the originality of the concept, however.
Dimension Y
This adventure is the one best suited for a Purist approach. The players first get to witness a scientific experiment gone awry - complete with an unsettling image that underscores the weirdness of the Mythos - before struggling to contain the damage as things deteriorate around them. There are plenty of disturbing visions that worsen as time grows short. I felt this was the best-constructed mystery, with lots of character interaction and smaller secrets presenting opportunities for interesting scenes. If only the name of the Mythos entity involved was not "Azazoth," spelled thusly in several spots and jarring to read (in another place it is spelled "Azazthoth," making it hard to tell if the inconsistency was planned).
Other Contents
Sprinkled throughout the book are some supplemental bits for Trail of Cthulhu and GUMSHOE in general. A new character background (Charlatan) is presented, as are rules for getting the drop on someone and spends for General Abilities. In order to avoid the unsettling dreams of the final scenario, it includes rules on trying to stay awake which might come in handy elsewhere. There are a few new Mythos monsters and spells as well.
Overall Impressions
This first collection of scenarios for Trail of Cthulhu is solid, not only in terms of the mysteries themselves, but as indications of how Robin Laws intended the GUMSHOE system to work. Reading them prior to play really sold me on the mechanics.
If I can note any issues, it is that there is little tying the adventures together for an extended campaign (although the book does not promise this). This is exacerbated by the fact that there are no Mythos tomes worthy of the name in the book, and thus no way to actually acquire Cthulhu Mythos skill. Since Cthulhu Mythos skill is referenced in a few places, a Keeper might need to involve experienced characters, insert a few custom tomes, or rule that some Mythos shocks grant the skill.
To sum up, Stunning Eldritch Tales comes across more as a pulp homage than a Mythos product. Each of the four scenarios could be run in straight horror or dark adventure games - using GUMSHOE or otherwise - without any Lovecraftian touches. This is not to say that they don't belong in the Trail of Cthulhu line, or that they aren't all quite above average in quality.
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