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Pagan Publishing, once again, has a winning Call of Cthulhu book of adventures on their hands. However, when is Call of Cthulhu not about the Cthulhu Mythos? This volume explains in five non-Mythos scenarios of supernatural horror and mystery from author John H. Crowe III. Contained within this venerable volume you will not find Deep Ones, or Shoggoths, or Great Old Ones or even the Great Race of Yith, notwithstanding one will come across repugnant terrors committed by equally the living and the dead. So, rather, ghosts, demons, poltergeists, spirits and the undead are the order of the day. Astute followers of Pagan will know that this route has been travelled before with Coming Full Circle thus proving the versatility and comprehensiveness of Call of Cthulhu, as the extraordinary and singular horror RPG out there. In my own scenarios, I have always used the Mythos whose effects can be felt but usually remain, off camera thus these scenarios of traditional horror help in creating that atmosphere. That said, it is often necessary to throw a monkey wrench into players who have purchased a copy of the main Call of Cthulhu rulebook or any one of the Malleus Monstrorum books without the going the route of Hamlet’s Hit Points …by reintroducing elements of traditional horror back into the game.
Keepers need not worry nor lose sanity in this review (like all my reviews of adventures) will not introduce spoilers but provide the initial setup for each scenario, so as not to spoil the fun around the table at gaming night. Sorry players…although some commentary will accompany the initial setup.
The Westerfield Incident?
It is May of 1915 and three horrific killings have occurred near the small town of Westerfield in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Each victim has been completely stripped of flesh, leaving only bloody, gnawed bones for the relatives and friends to find. What happened to the flesh is unknown but sheriff of Hamilton County has decided that a large predator, most likely a wolf or cougar, is responsible. His solution was to levy a $20 bounty on all large predatory creatures. People now lock their doors at night and all sorts of rumors circulate about the killings. It is up to private citizens such as the investigators, to take action to solve this mystery before more people die.
Nice little compact adventure that uses the rumor mill for investigators to prey open an ancient evil which is stalking the town. It uses a wide variety of locales but keeps the players isolated from the outside world through the clever use of using locals or having the proverbial railroad (loved the irony there) being washed out.
The Vengeful Dead?
The investigators are on vacation at the Grandview Lodge, a rustic hotel in Floyd Country, Virginia. The Grandview features numerous outdoor activities including riding, camping, fishing, swimming, hunting, skeet shooting, tennis, and croquet. It is popular vacation spot for many affluent people who are eager to escape the routine of city life. The area surrounding it is forested and hilly and absolutely stunning. It is quiet and peaceful retreat. However, soon the eye of the storm will shift…
I liked the open nature of this adventure, in which, it leaves it to the Keeper decides the true nature of the villain. The monsters while determined and single minded are interesting as they are the central focus of the adventure. Players are likely to misunderstand the intent to their peril, fortunately, there is a wad of interesting NPCs that aid the players that might just stave off the advancing doom and give a moment for somber reflection, otherwise, they are most certainly doomed.
The Bitter Venom of the Gods?
A somewhat sequel to the Vengeful Dead…in which it is Monday July 3, 1922, and the selected (ie surviving investigators) each receive a phone call from someone who also survived the previous scenario. She makes an unusual request, by explaining that she has accepted a marriage request from a man named Robert Galley. Over her father’s objections, she went so far as to move into the Galley home at the end the semester (in June). This is highly inappropriate behavior for the time, but insists that she was chaperoned and that in no way scandalous. After a month in the Galley home, she reconsidered her decision to marry Robert. She wants them to return to the house and retrieve some personal effects and settle a few lingering affairs.
While this is a finely crafted scenario, it is a very busy scenario that required several re-readings to make full sense of it. Hence, I found it very dense but yet enjoyable as a read, I would want to see it in play, as seemed more to be a work of fiction, compared to the previous adventure(s). Thus, it is recommended that this adventure be run with a seasoned group and not as a standalone.
Curse of the Screaming Skull?
It is the May of 1923 and the investigators are contacted by John Withering, the nephew of the late Jacob Withering. John is seeking a small group of parapsychologists and paranormal researchers to investigate the mysterious happenings at his uncle’s remote lodge in Vermont.
Nice little tale of a haunted house that is sure to leave the investigators unsettled for some time. Because, they have to preserve the integrity of the house, as terms and conditions, this will require a serious investigation not merely the old standby dynamiting the house. When running this, most of my players were stumped by the mystery, so inventive Keepers will have to find ways of attacking the players directly and the adventure is supposed to have taken place over a month, it hinders a quick resolution, yet at the same time, gives some breathing room – for haste does in Call of Cthulhu games cause serious injury.
An Unsettled Mind?
Baltimore, June 1924. The investigators are death investigators with the Baltimore Police Department. They consist of homicide detectives and coroner’s personnel charged with looking into violent and suspicious deaths. On Thursday June 5, they are called to the scene of a fatal traffic accident. This seemingly mundane case must be unusual in some way, for it is not routine for detectives to be called for such accidents.
I found the moral quandary for players opting for quick and effortless posed at the conclusion of this adventure most refreshing – all too often there are consequences in Call of Cthulhu adventures but is an adventure that passes from commonplace to epic. And, the way the tale unfolds is truly spectacular…with the investigators having to choose between the law and what is right in a noir backdrop.
All the adventures are well written with interesting descriptions and unexpected red herrings that nicely lead the players around the clue but telling directly – which is where role playing and good judgment along with investigative skill (not rolls) take precedence. Thus, these scenarios are more the more seasoned Call of Cthulhu player and Keeper needing an interlude from cosmic horror to a more banal form of horror being released – but make no mistake these horrors are far from mundane. Pagan has done a wonderful job with the art (although, sadly Blair Reynolds does not make an appearance – but much of the art certainly has a Reynolds aura). The text flows in multiple directions providing lots of twists and teasers for players at the beginning, however, at the same time the overall plot and narrative is tight enough to keep the players on track with each adventure without railroading them into particular or singular outcomes – although there is one conclusion – there are many roads in getting their just the path becomes ever more narrow. What I would like to have seen was a few more play testing notes (for only one had play test notes), as some parts of various adventures were not clear.
Also, noteworthy, are the props that Pagan commissioned to accompany each adventure – each was carefully crafted to reveal the right information – yet is not extravagant – it provides a tantalizing clue but through efficient and effective role playing – investigators are bound to find the same clue through interaction. Isolation and dread that comes with that is a predominant theme of all these adventures, save the last one. It would have been more enjoyable there was more accompanying atmospheric motifs – however, a creative Keeper can always insert those in. No pregens are supplied but ample suggestions are made that Keepers can easily create them on the spot.
So, as the X-Files amply prove American folklore can provide a rich mine of paranormal happenings, it is hoped that Pagan will once again return to this rich field sooner than waiting the span between Coming Full Circle and this particular volume. For what was novel and introduced new aspects into standard Call of Cthulhu play with Coming Full Circle have been fully realized and matured in Bumps in the Night. Old fashioned horror like this, are like ghost stories from childhood, nagging, persistent, corrosive, tingling feeling at the back one’s mind which cause you not have nightmares but feel deeply unsettled and anxious. Although, the adventures do contain a fair deal of gore, the true horror is usually more sinister and not in the least what even most seasoned investigators might expect. Thus, Pagan gets full marks incorporating the unknown and the known warping and twisting it to give players and Keepers alike a genuinely fresh set of horrors to play have in the sandbox of their imaginations.
