New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley
The publication of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley, from publisher Miskatonic River Press, marks a special occasion for Call of Cthulhu. Special because New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley is the first book from Keith Herber – the author of Fungi From Yuggoth and other classics – for over a decade; the first volume of all new material for Lovecraft Country for a decade – the last being Before the Fall; and lastly, the first anthology of all new scenarios for over a decade. It collects six scenarios, all for classic Call of Cthulhu and all set in Lovecraft Country, that dark and moldering corner of Massachusetts. Two of its tales are set in Arkham, two in Kingsport, and then one in Dunwich, and another in Foxfield. To get the most out of this anthology the Keeper will need copies of the Arkham Unveiled, Return to Dunwich, and Kingsport: The City in the Mist sourcebooks, respectively. Those for Arkham and Kingsport are particularly useful, and fortunately, all three sourcebooks are in print.
With its first book, Miskatonic River Press brings us an anthology containing a strong half-dozen scenarios that any Keeper worth his essential saltes will want in his library. Certainly, this is an absolute must for the Keeper wanting new material for his Lovecraft Country campaign, offering an opportunity for the investigators to visit some of the region’s most notable (and possibly most notorious) locales anew. The application and exploration of the Mythos in all six is unflinchingly callous, and players and Keeper alike will come away from these scenarios with some memorable moments.
The first of the two Arkham-set tales is Tom Lynch’s “The Reeling Midnight,” which takes place amidst the town’s bohemian scene. Eugene Wilcox has become infatuated with Countess Ariadne Vargas, a Hungarian exile, and his parents are worried that she is a gold digger. Investigating both Ariadne and her uncle Zoltan will involve attending a wild party or two and plenty of detective work before any secrets are revealed. The investigative process involved is perhaps more interesting than the final horrifying revelation, which comes just a little too unexpectedly.
“Wasted Youth” by Christopher Smith Adair, also set in Arkham, begins with an unexplained outbreak of juvenile delinquency – shop windows smashed, cars vandalized, and even an old man run down by a boy at the wheel of a speeding car. The investigators are amongst the victims and soon find the culprits to be a group of very unpleasant children, the last of which leads the party on a grueling chase across the countryside. If you have wondered what a Boy Scout re-enactment of Lord of the Flies would be like, then “Wasted Youth” shows you how. You will never listen to “Ging Gang Goolee” with the same reaction again.
Oscar Rios contributes two scenarios, the first of which is “Spirit of Industry.” The editor of the Arkham Advertiser, having paid handsomely for proof of the existence of ghosts or a haunting and having been told that a Dunwich sawmill is haunted, sends a reporter to get the facts. This is a difficult scenario to get the player characters involved in, but once so involved, is solid little tale of local color and twisted machinery.
Foxfield is the setting for Keith Herber’s new scenario, a quiet town north of Arkham, whose Supervisor, Henry Barnes, has been receiving death threats. The mystery in “Proof of Life” lies in the town’s politics, a dispute over a logging contract that could save its future, and finally, in the odd behavior of Henry Barnes himself. Behind it though, is a tragedy that exposes all involved to the utterly uncaring nature of the Mythos.
A rash of sudden and inexplicable blindness besets the people of Kingsport. Is it due to illness, or something else? With his second scenario, “Malice Everlasting,” Oscar Rios draws from a familiar plot idea, that of revenge from beyond the grave. The first of the two Kingsport scenarios, it gives a new twist upon that idea and both investigators and players alike will surprised by the agents involved.
The last scenario is Kevin Ross’ “The Night War,” again set in Kingsport and is easily run on the heels of Oscar Rios’ “Malice Everlasting.” It begins in media res, the investigators experiencing the horrors of trench warfare on the Western Front, perhaps again for veterans of the Great War, but definitely for the first time for any female investigator. There is something not quite right about this battlefield – other horrors stalk No Mans Land and the investigators soon realize that this is a shared dream. They will need to investigate both by day and by night if they are to stop the nightmare from spreading. This is a grueling affair that explores the hellish effects of modern warfare.
That a Keeper will need copies of the sourcebooks for Arkham, Dunwich, and Kingsport to get the fullest out of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley is both a plus and a minus. It can be a minus because these half dozen scenarios are difficult to set elsewhere, but a plus because the Keeper can really get his players and their investigators involved in the region and its people. The scenarios do suffer from the same problem that many other Call of Cthulhu scenarios do – getting the investigators involved in them is not always as easy as it should be.
In appearance, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley looks bland by contemporary standards, but its plain white pages and unfussy look not only harks back to the style of the original Lovecraft Country supplements, it also makes the book incredibly easy to read. This is not style over substance, but substance over style – if only some other publishers would take note. Overall, the book is very well put together, although the area and regional maps could have been sharper. Jason Eckhardt’s artwork is excellent, at times capturing some manic nature found in a particular scenario.
Such minor issues aside, New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley is an excellent anthology, each scenario possessing strong ties to the community it is set in and each containing some memorable scenes. All six are deep affairs, requiring at least two sessions of play and plenty of investigation, interaction, and confrontation. Of the six, my favorites are “Wasted Youth” and “Proof of Life” for reasons that I do not want spoil here. However, all six provide excellent support for the Lovecraft Country and it is good to see New England’s darkest corners infused with new ichor.
October 6th, 2009 at 00:39
“That a Keeper will need copies of the sourcebooks for Arkham, Dunwich, and Kingsport to get the fullest out of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley is both a plus and a minus.”
I respectfully disagree–although i have all of those books, I by no means referenced them whatsoever while reading through NTMV and i didn’t suffer from any lack of understanding.
Thus, having the books is a plus but [i]not[/i] having them isn’t a deal-breaker.