The three scenarios are titled "The Rise of Xnaaki", by Michael Wood, "His Wildest Dreams", by Marc Chiddicks, and "What Goes Around", by Marcus D. Bone. The first is a classic Cthulhu scenario, where the investigators are called upon to Save The World (or New England anyway) from the rise of an evil entity. I ran it for a group of friends who are Cthulu nuts and it went very smoothly, if a little predictably. For those who have played Masks of Nyarlothotep, or indeed most other pulpy Cthulhu games, the style of 'Rise' will seem very familiar. This is to be considered a strength if that's your bag, as it is well written and supported with timelines, new spells, and a perilous need to confront the terrors of spookiness.
The second scenario deals with a slightly more insidious evil. It too is well written, with a clear timeline of events and plenty of scope for investigators to, well, investigate. It uses the Kingsport setting, evidently taken from a Chaosium supplement, currently out of print but slated for republication in the near future. I'm planning to run it shortly for the same group of Cthulhu fans, and anticipate much fun being had.
The final scenario, written by the book's editor, is also well put together, furnished with player handouts and an easy to use layout. It is written for 2 investigators, and covers a short, high pressure time period. It is set in Arkham, 1921. Modifications to allow a greater number of players should be possible with minimal effort.
The only weaknesses evident in the magazine would be a certain directness in the scenarios - they all rely on the investigators to be connected to each other and motivated from the outset. This would not pose a problem in the context of a campaign, nor indeed in a gaming circle where cooperation was at a premium. For those less, er, plot-friendly souls in the gaming community, character constraints might be necessary. This is not a flaw inherent in the games - any game requires a degree of cooperation from players to succeed - but it is worth pointing out that all 3 games work on the basis of the investigators being a cohesive, motivated group from the outset. [this caveat says more about my personal gaming experiences than the magazine, but what are you going to do?]
The artwork contained in the magazine varies from excellent down to competent, and the magazine packs a lot of content without looking text heavy or being difficult to read. The border art is very cool, and the whole thing is very slickly put together. Well worth a look, especially at the price. Evidently more issues are on the way.
