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This is a combination adventure/supplement designed as an accompaniment to Miskatonic River Press’s epic Campaign - The Legacy of Arrius Lurco (both as a prologue and epilogue). That said the adventures could be dropped into any Cthulhu Invictus they just have more meaning as being part of a shared universe. Thus, criticisms that this is a cash grab are unfounded, as one does not depend upon the other rather it is a supplement in the best sense of the word.

The adventures are connected in the sense that they provide a feeling of the shared universe, save, the last two which form an interlocked whole. They are imaginative but not as creative as the work that went into The Legacy of Arrius Lurco; best used as one shots for the campaign is the campaign and these are very much in the way of trimmings.

For there is not much linking these scenarios together other than having the NPC patrons going back to The Legacy of Arrius Lurco. Even thematically they are quite different - which as I explain below is a good thing. Some cater to those loving a mystery to be solved, others are just Sword & Sandal escapade and others simple kill the monster steal the treasure ventures. Individually, they are quite unremarkable – for instance, in which when one is confronted with an island with the single Siren, there is few surprises or in another adventure dealing with Byakhee but others show more sophistication and detailing like where players are called to investigate a series of mysterious deaths of a wealthy patron. As always, adventures are a matter of personal preference but there are no real gaping holes here. They are loosely connected back to The Legacy of Arrius Lurco campaign but not enough in my humble opinion.

None the less, if one (ie the Keeper do the legwork) were to link them back to the campaign as one continuous product - they would work very well. They also lack what the campaign suffered from – a sense of place. Although, they are much better in using the setting – Ancient Rome, as the backdrop – they lack the smells of horse sweat, the pervasive buzzing of flies and the other tactile elements that contribute to an excellent Call of Cthulhu adventure. For individual Keepers can certainly add these elements on their own accord but what makes a remarkable adventure is when these descriptors (sights, sounds, smells, tastes and trickiest of them all touch) are present, as a kind of toolkit to augment the adventure. This is especially needed in those games not set in the present (although, even there I would argue they have a place) – as you want to make sure that players are feeling out of place – such is the essence of good horror role playing.

Excellent supplemental rules are added for Latin curses, Criminal Justice and Punishment in Antiquity, Chariot Races, and additional occupations. These additional rules certainly augment and make any Cthulhu Invictus adventure more fun and given some Runequest supplements, I wonder why Chariot racing was not playing a bigger role in the main Chaosium milieu book – conservation of space, I suppose. However, they are well thought through and make a welcome addition to the milieu, alternatively, naturally the Keeper could just go with the flow but I especially like how Chariot Race rules were written with the emphasis upon the racing aspect rather than simply a set of rules on how to Drive a Chariot. Secondly, the rules and background on Crime and Punishment gives the milieu more meaning and is really well researched. Rounding things out are a group of pregen characters that can easily be ported into either these adventures or the larger campaign itself replete with their background information/motivations.

Taken all together, a very nice product and if you liked The Legacy of Arrius Lurco, you really ought to consider picking up this PDF. My only criticism is that it is in PDF form; hopefully sales will be good enough to lead it to being printed as some sort of booklet. And, once I again, I do hope that Oscar Rios returns to the Cthulhu Invictus milieu with more Ancient World spanning campaigns that mix in liberally rules and high adventure. It also would depend how comfortable does a Keeper feel about their personal familiarity of Antiquity, after all, between Indiana Jones and Call of Cthulhu many individuals that I know have sought to study practice archaeology and/or the history of Antiquity. So, if a Keeper is well versed in this period, only the additional occupations and rules would probably serve of some use but not the meat of the supplement – the adventures. However, if you are just a well-informed amateur then this becomes a nice package.

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