Miskatonic Monday #86: Stench of an Open Grave and other new independent Call of Cthulhu releases

Independent Call of Cthulhu creator Marcus Bone poses the question, Should you buy this scenario? for his new Miskatonic Repository scenario, Stench of an Open Grave... and gives a compelling answer:

"This scenario was created with the express purpose of introducing new players to Cthulhu Dark Ages and as such presents what I hope is a simple, almost linear, mystery for them to explore. With this audience in mind, ‘Stench’ attempts to downplay the more fantastical elements that can sometimes seep into Dark Ages games and instead tries to bring to life the culture and experience of living in the Early Middle Ages. Of course, this may mean more experienced role-players (especially those well versed in the Dark Ages) might find the story a little too simplistic for their tastes, but nevertheless I would still like to think that you ‘hold in your hand’ a well thought out, fun scenario; one that can give a good night or two’s entertainment for any fan of the Cthulhu Mythos."

Stench of an Open Grave - A Cthulhu Dark Ages Scenario
Marcus Bone ($6.00, 47 page PDF)

Short adventure designed to introduce a small group of players to the atmosphere and intrigue of Cthulhu Dark Ages 3rd Edition for the first time. Ideal also for Keepers looking to run a dark - yet simple - mystery set in the early Middle Ages, it gives you everything you need (including three pregenerated characters - created specifically for the scenario) to bring this world - and its horrors - to life.

Here are other new releases you should check out on the Miskatonic Repository (plus there are new releases in French, Italian, Korean, Polish, Swedish!)

Ghost Trade
Matt "Doc" Tracey ($5.99, 33 page PDF)

What would you trade?

Nestled among the Appalachian foothills of Maine, the small town of Pennybrook has become home to a ghost story: a restless spirit wanders the cemetery at night, led by a ghostly lantern. The residents of the town are divided on the ghost itself. Is it the spirit of a recently departed loved one? A malevolent force brought about by intemperance? Or just the groundskeeper making his nightly rounds? No one can say for sure. Nestled in the swirling mists of Pennybrook there are answers to be found about this ghost story. But also a question must be asked: What would you trade?

In Xanthic Tones
Rob Leigh ($5.00, 28 page PDF)

Hired to find a missing woman for her concerned uncle, the investigators quickly become embroiled in a race against time in the face of an ancient prophecy. In doing so they must contend with two separate but equally vile groups steeped in the Mythos, madness-inducing paintings, and the looming threat of the King in Yellow.

Modern-day scenario for four to six players. By default, the scenario is set in London but is easily adaptable to other settings and time periods.

On Hallowed Time
Josh Roe ($2.99, 11 page PDF)

Reclusive millionaire James Carmine has posted an open invitation for any and all looking to escape the chaos of Halloween in Arkham in favor of an elegant ball at his private manor in the woods. Party goers soon find something is wrong when people start falling unconscious left and right. It’s up to the investigators to unravel a coven’s wicked plot to steal the youth of all the attendees. Will the investigators be able to stop them before they turn to dust at sunrise?

The Great American Dynasty
Keller O'Leary ($4.95, 38 page PDF)

The American Dream is coming for you.

A shadow society has existed in secret long before the birth of this country, and they'll be here after, too. Can any investigators survive their encounters with this group, or will they simply be the latest in a long, long line of the Dynasty's victims? Modern Day scenario.

Children of the Web
Zachary Pagram ($3.00, 16 page PDF)

An action-filled adventure that drops players into the muggy depths of the Amazon rainforest. Miskatonic University has financed the investigators' expedition into the Amazon in search of a rare supernatural spider silk and promised a handsome reward for silk samples (and/or live specimens of the spiders).

However… these are no ordinary spiders, and you’re not the first team to go looking for them. All that remains of the previous expedition is a trail hacked through the jungle, and an abandoned seaplane. Investigators must overcome the threats of the jungle, explore a time-lost ruin, and evade the notice of the Spider God, Atlach-Nacha.

The Timeless Terror
Marco Danili (Free, 13 page PDF)

The players embark on a journey in the early 1920s aboard a luxurious train, reuniting with their friend, the geologist Robert Sinclair. Little do they know that this adventure will test their sanity and their very perception of time. Isolated aboard the train, the investigators must decipher cryptic clues, confront eerie visions, and face the lurking evil in the shadows as strange events unfold.

Players must confront not only cosmic horror but also the enigmatic forces of time itself. Will they break free from this temporal nightmare, or will they be forever trapped, where past, present, and future merge into madness?

Tuorsjaure - A shadow of what once was
Oscar Sedholm ($4.99, 30 page PDF)

"Åke Rönnkvist was gone. And it wasn’t just him, but his entire house and yard had been swallowed by the earth. Even the dog pen and the garage were gone. The only thing that remained was an enormous, gaping, dark hole. At the bottom - at least a twenty-metre drop - roots, gravel, and rocks were the only things visible now. News agencies swarmed the place for a few days and seismologists proclaimed it “the freak accident of the century”. 

A sinkhole in a region where this is unheard of. Even the BBC visited the small, unseemly village of Tuorsjaure, at what they described as the ‘edge of the world in the ancestral lands of the Sámi people’. The locals were not impressed. Part of the Northern Lights and Darkness Collection.

On Air
Quico Vicens-Picatto (Pay-what-you-want, recommended price Free, 14 page PDF)

The one-shot scenario On Air was created for The Call of Cthulhu's 7th edition and is set in 1920s Arkham. The players portray the cast of the neighborhood radio show "The Witching Hour" who are the "lucky ones" tasked with broadcasting live the introduction and spread of an unidentified evil to the community. The people who live in Arkham will be the ones to tell others what is happening over phone conversations.

Recipe for Obsession
Damien Ennis, Ben Holsclaw ($3.99, 28 page PDF)

Bizarre obsessions are taking hold of Arkham’s residents, leading to unexpected deaths. With the Annual Fall Festival around the corner, Arkham’s authorities are distracted, and the Investigators are called in to get to the bottom of these mysterious events. 1920s investigation.

The Reanimator Returns
Leopoldo Rueda, Stars Are Right ($9.99, 67 page PDF)

A string of odd and unexplained disappearances in the backcountry of Vermont peaks the interest of the FBI's newest top secret branch, Department 29. A reporter with more reason than most to investigate these disappearances pieces together that they all occurred on roads leading toward the town of Colter, and vowed to uncover the cause, but has also since gone missing... What awaits the heroes of Department 29 when they pick up the pieces of this investigation and make their way to Colter Town? Only time will tell.

1930s Pulp Cthulhu sandbox scenario about Weird Science, Madness and Horror!

The Phthonus Cabinet - A Gaslight-era Scenario
John Crowdis ($7.95, 70 page PDF)

Jonathan Adley has a problem. Last week, he couldn’t believe his luck when his Auction House in east London broke profit records, largely thanks to an unusually fierce bidding war over an 18th-century ebony cabinet. Yet soon after, Adley was dismayed to find several items delivered to the wrong address, and now the prized cabinet is missing! Worse yet, the winning bidder threatens to sue him into insolvency if he does not produce it within a handful of days. Yet financial ruin may be the least of anyone’s worries, as everyone gets more than they bargained for.

Roll20 version also available. 

Last threads of Sanity
Joel Kumpulainen ($2.12, 28 page PDF)

Thrusts you into the heart of cosmic horror. In this descent into madness, investigators’ grip on reality slips away faster than you can comprehend. Rapid sanity loss dominates this scenario, rather than slow horror building and investigation. No one emerges from the cosmic abyss with their sanity - or their bodies – intact.

A Lone Collection
Jade Griffin ($4.99, 103 page PDF)

After thwarting a theft on the streets of 1890s Chicago, an old gentleman offers you a job of guarding his collection of strange artifacts while he is away. As the guard, your choices lead to mystery, mythos, magic, and even death while guarding... A Lone Collection is a solo scenario.

100 People to Encounter in Kingsport
Adrian Kennelly ($1.99, 12 page PDF)

This is a collection of 100 people that investigators could encounter in Kingsport. They tend to be those that are most likely to be encountered, rather than general members of the populace, and as a result include a lot of people working at different businesses in the town, though there are others as well, from students to retirees. Most are not in positions of real importance and most have no knowledge of the Mythos, though some may brush its edges.

Broken Dreams
John Almack ($2.95, 17 page PDF)

The investigator’s dreams of a woman in red being held captive lead him to a Kingsport heiress fallen into a coma. What follows is a personal journey into the Dreamlands on a quest to rescue her. From the crowded stalls of the Goblin Market to the dark depths of the Vaults of Zin and even the stars beyond, the investigator must face many dangerous challenges in order to appease the capricious whim of an Elder God.

Short classic-era scenario set in Kingsport and the Dreamlands, designed for one player, but easily expandable for more.

Plus!

The Miskatonic Repository Halloween 2023 Collection!

As with previous years, the Miskatonic Repository Halloween 2023 Collection contains scenarios by Repository authors old and new, sold at -60% off! 

The sale lasts until November 12, and all previous Miskatonic Repository Halloween Collections - 2019 2020 2021 2022 - are back on a -60% sale as well during this time!

Miskatonic Repository Halloween 2023 Collection
Marek Golonka, Maria Borys-Piątkowska, Leo Milani, Jazmin Ospa, Meghan Kuschner, SR Sellens, Pete Burgess, Rina Haenze, Ryan Graham Theobalds, Bum Lee, Matt "Doc" Tracey, and Al Smith ($50.34 $19.99, 14 PDFs)

Contains 14 scenarios and supplements by independent Call of Cthulhu creators in the Miskatonic Repository. nb If you already own a title in the bundle you will not be charged for it. 

WHAT IS THE MISKATONIC REPOSITORY?

Are you a Keeper looking for new scenarios and story elements? A player looking for something mysterious to spark a character idea? Is your group looking for eerie ideas to use in your game? The Miskatonic Repository is where you can find —and create —self-published material for the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game.

Interested in submitting content? Go here to see the guidelines, and here for the additional guidelines. No extra license is required. Get started and download the MS Word template or the InDesign template for Miskatonic Repository submissions, and check out our other free creator resources.