Disclaimer: I obtained a complementary copy of “The Black Drop” in exchange for this review. WARNING: THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS
In the southern Indian Ocean lies a trivial, desolate archipelago known as the Kerguelens mentioned by Poe, Verne and some of the other Dime Novel authors. Accordingly, so far so good, as the sense of isolation that these islands and the adventure itself provide is absolutely perfect for Cthulhu games. Set in the 1930s (the default era for Trail of Cthulhu), a slow steamer travels there to undertake scientific studies and to remove what few individuals still occupy a failing French colony on the island. The investigators arrive on this ship, but they are not the only ones attracted in the mysteries of this barren wasteland…
I must say by-on-large I enjoy most of the offerings from Pelgrane Press and their Trail of Cthulhu line. Even when if I proclaim to be a BRP devotee, their adventures seem to be more Lovecraftian than what sometimes Chaosium has produced, even if it means “giving away” the clues. The dichotomy between purist & pulp and stability & sanity were brilliant innovations into what was already a great game – the original Call of Cthulhu. The Black Drop, is the latest release in that line authored by Jason Morningstar, author of The Shab-al-Hiri Roach, is another fine addition to this tradition.
The very best part of this scenario is the copious detail on the Kerguelens themselves. One of the great strengths of many of the old Call of Cthulhu adventures was similar copious detail on a foreign city or country, so the Keeper can really give an adventure session the mood by providing the sights, sounds, and even smells of another place or time. Morningstar certainly brings these bleak islands to life, with superbly meticulously detailed descriptions of flora and fauna, the inhabitants, the place’s history, and the local environment and conditions including a snippet of the fantastical. The investigators are in point of fact discovering a new world, and Morningstar provides a profusion of maps, data, and photographs to turn it into a lively and terrific backdrop for the adventure itself.
This is not to say that the rest of the scenario has serious shortfalls. It has everything you come to expect from a Call of Cthulhu adventure – mysterious characters with uncertain motivations, deadly cults, strange artifacts, geological and metrological oddities, eldritch Horrors from beyond, and even an episode that I doubt most players will see coming or anticipate. The scenario provides Keeper directions that can easily turn the scenario in purist or pulp adventure paths.
One interesting innovation in Black Drop is treatment the use of interpersonal and investigative skills in a setting that might not call for them. The adventure provides the group with a number of flashbacks, in which the characters can play out their fact-finding attempts before setting sail which is good for a campaign but not really a One-Shot. Given that no other adventures are directly linked to The Black Drop, it is likely to be a One Shot therefore requires better editing to tie it together. I also found that I had to read through the scenario several times to completely familiarize myself… It would be nice if more purple pose would be employed to get things on the right track or some sort of flow chart (if not directly then implicitly as part of the text). Having a flowchart with possible alternatives noted might make the scenario clearer and be more conducive to Trail of Cthulhu.
Additionally, I also found that the backstory for the pregens not to be entirely convincing and rather scant. Nor were there pictures nor separate character sheets to be found neither on the website nor in the scenario itself causing me to have to create my own by the meticulous cutting and pasting from a PDF which had character details arranged in columns.
Another negative aspect that might emerge during for potential Keepers is the nature of one of the groups that the group must encounter. Ultimate victory in this scenario is dependant upon largely based on how the investigators interact with this group, and it might be that some players will seek a different outcome than that which the text anticipates therefore reeks a little too much of railroading and the scenario does not provide with alternate outcomes. Consequently, the Keeper must be considerate of this in role-play, unless (s)he anticipates this to be run as a one-shot.
My only regret is that I could not see how the scenario actually played out, as my regularly scheduled Cthulhu game had players bail out on me and replacement players were not to be found in time – such is the joy of trying to schedule gaming sessions in the Summer. I speculate, however, that this scenario would be better suited for more seasoned Cthulhu players rather those who would just drop in.
Taken as a whole, the Black Drop is a fantastic scenario and one of the strongest scenarios which, in turn, makes it one of the strongest Cthulhoid RPG scenarios published in recent times whether you play Trail of Cthulhu or BRP Call of Cthulhu. As I am sure that someone on the web will perform the translation into BRP. I look forward to more quality offerings from Pelegrane that take the adventures into distinctly Lovecraftian as opposed to Cthulhuian paths.
Review Summary