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Esoterrorists are entities from the Outer Black, where Chaos, Entropy and Horror reside. This little trope make it an ideal path to Cosmic Horror of which the Cthulhu Mythos is but one small part and to Pelgrane’s credit they captured and refined that vibe to perfection in Trail of Cthulhu products. Sure, a psychopath can claim that Hastur made him do it but usually Cthulhu games revolve around tracking down the psychopath or cult of Hastur to make the Earth safer for one night more (as you cannot see if the Stars Are Right during the day – scary thought – what if Lovecraft only meant if the Star [meaning the Sun] was Right...).
So, what if the Cthulhu game was about tracking down the psychopath only following what exists in his mind – Silence of the Lambs, anyone? It certainly would make Cthulhu games more interesting and mature. So, Esoterrorists takes that notion of Cosmic Horror to another plane by making the baddies the incarnations of what is horrific in our imaginations. And, I don’t know about you...but I have a pretty active imagination...
THE LOVE OF MONEY is an adventure largely centred around Amsterdam and involves investigation of a murder of their own Agents who has gone rogue from one of the player’s own organization (Ordo Veriatis) dedicated to fighting the Outer Black without revealing to the larger world the immense cosmic threat that lies beyond the thin gauzier of reality. The latter being the overriding priority for players. Like all investigative horror games, it freely mixes the horrific with a mystery, players in GUMSHOE expend points to investigate key clues and these clues solve the mystery. The adventure is laid out in such a way that multiple different paths may be taken, including, failure. So, there is no railroading just simply getting the job done. Like Cthulhu, you are dealing with entities, far older than Mankind and infinitely more cunning and difficult. But, unlike Cthulhu, you do not have to wade through many minion monsters of the supernatural kind (although, they can make an appearance) – the true evil lies in the hearts of (wo)men which is what I found most compelling about this whole adventure. The horror lies not in the reveal of the big boss but rather in the psychological unveiling of the mystery. That is not to say, that the big boss is any less scary from a descriptive point of view, just the psychological dimensions create a perfect adversary.
Aiding the Game master and constraining the players are the Drives and back-story – each player has their own unique connection for doing what they do – fight evil and try to maintain good mental stability but because the connection is often personal – they cannot back away from it. Not to mention that they are part of a secret organization whose “job” it is to fight the Esoterrorist threat. Pelgrane Press has supplied excellent PC character sheets to serve this purpose replete with insertion notes, again, no portraits provided...(grumble, grumble, grumble) However, on the up side, all NPCs are amply illustrated along with a large quantity of props and general Game mastering aids. The art is absolutely incredible and top notch value was put into not only their renderings but also how they would be placed so that everything has a sleek modern and shiny appearance. All throughout there are things that are inserted to increase the quantity of apprehension and tension, as the locales vary from claustrophobic hotel rooms to the wide open turbulent sea (sorry, any more information would be spoilers). Each scene is carefully crafted like as if by a skilled musician who starts off soft then gradually increases the tempo and intensity till the climax in which then things move very fast and furious. Failure at the end would be ultimate failure but unlike the revelation of Cosmic Horror – the Earth does not simply burn or wink out of existence – things get worse, much worse.
The writing is comprehensible and decisive, and the adventure is well organized with flowcharts and much to convey the overall mood, leaving the tone up to the individual Game Master. If one were to complain about anything it is that Amsterdam is described as if you had already been there...so much more could be done to enhance the sense of place – but I do realize that for many Europeans (and Pelgrane is a British company) Amsterdam is a weekend trip. However, for those who are in other parts of the world than Europe, one is left with a pastiche of images; if this item is go to print perhaps an Appendix describing Amsterdam and its surroundings, its history, significant landmarks would not go amiss for the non-Europeans among us. Although, I guess it had to include a Windmill, but, it was a bit of cliché – would have preferred a windmill farm - to give it that modern edge.
Also, a minor drawback is that this is a one-shot, as it is so well written in the beginning and because you want that experience to be prolonged (thus staying safe), players are shuffled along to meet the Esoterrorist threat or face a horrible fate (‘nuff said). The art for the props is excellent, as is the art in the interior conveying just the right amount of fear, of course, being a pain the art, I would love to see more. But, the narrative is so smooth that you don’t really need it, for it paints the pictures in your head.
The adventure courses through the plot not like a railroad taking players passively along but it is rather like a motorboat in choppy waters. A skilled group of players can zoom in on the clues by making all the necessary expenditures but alternatives are presented throughout thus even allowing for talented amateurs to gain traction without sacrificing any of the excitement or mystery. So, as the motorboat gets sidetracked by waves, the players keep focused on the ultimate destination (solving the mystery and stopping the threat) can take detours by banking to the right or left to avoid being flipped over but ultimately will end up at the climax.
GUMSHOE is not for everyone but any Keeper worth their salt can easily convert it back into BRP or d20 but what GUMSHOE does best is outline all the possible actions with success, for all too often in Call of Cthulhu, critical clues can be lost in play and in a tight environment like a One Shot/Convention Play, it becomes hard for the Keeper to allow players the time to backtrack or invent a substitute clue. There is somewhat the notion that players must sacrifice for the greater good but not all forms of sacrifice are equal. Esoterrorists and Fear Itself really demonstrate the full potential of the Investigative Horror Role Playing experience in a much greater way than typically Call of Cthulhu does. And, because the horrors are what our own imagination leaks out, the monsters are not only horrific but are a composite of the unknown. It is also equally refreshing that it does not break out formulaic horror creatures such as zombies, vampires, Deep Ones, etc. neither as the Big Boss nor as foot soldiers.
I really look forward to more from Pelgrane for the Esoterrorist line and hope when they do Modern Trail of Cthulhu, it would be combined with Esoterrorists and Fear Itself but I think Pelgrane is wary about putting too many GUMSHOE eggs in one basket, as each reflects a different, however slightly, aspect of horror. They are rapidly becoming my favourite among all publishers dedicated to Horror RPGs, as Pagan does not simply produce enough and Chaosium...well...has a special place but the old dog has to learn some of these “new” (tried and true dating back to Lovecraft himself) tricks. All throughout, I felt I was getting my money’s worth and more.
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