Unnatural Selections #46 - what critics said now and then about 'The Asylum & Other Tales', now part of our Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter

Late last week as part of our Call of Cthulhu 40th anniversary Becca Scott and friends played the scenario "The Auction". This adventure is part of the 1983 Call of Cthulhu release The Asylum & Other Tales, one of the five supplements we're reprinting in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter, currently underway. The cover art is by Tom Sullivan.

If you watch Becca and her investigators in action you can see just how easy it is to play these classic scenarios with the current 7th edition rules!

Here's what reviewers have said about The Asylum & Other Tales over the years:

The Asylum & Other Tales (1983)

"Considering its early release date (1983), The Asylum & Other Tales is quite a remarkable product, filled with lots of modular material for use by a harried Keeper. I learned a great deal about crafting good – and not so good – Call of Cthulhu adventures from it. In fact, thinking back on the book and its scenarios makes me wish I were refereeing a Call of Cthulhu campaign right now." — Grognardia.

"The Asylum is a collection of cases designed to make your characters feel cursed." — Vintage RPG.

"The title scenario and 'The Auction' are strong. Only 'Black Devil Mountain' really stinks (I suppose this scenario was written in 1983, and scenario writers hadn't quite got the hang of the whole "not D&D" thing yet). All the others are good, solid Cthulhu scenarios. All in all, a good package." — James Holloway review, RPGNet.

"9 out of 10: Asylum is a neat collection providing short interesting adventures... Quality-wise it compares very favourably with Shadows [of Yog-Sothoth]." — Jon Sutherland review, White Dwarf #47.

“Overall, this is a fine collection of Lovecraftian adventures will worth the attention of enthusiastic keepers and completist fans of H.P. Lovecraft.” — Anders Swenson review, Different Worlds #35.

"A worthy addition to the Cthulhu Mythos and should be snatched up hand and tentacle by all CoC Keepers.” — William A. Barton review, Fantasy Gamer #5.

"All together the seven scenarios in The Asylum & Other Tales present a snapshot of Call of Cthulhu writing as it was in 1983, just as the writers were laying down many of the ideas that authors have since revisited again and again. They feel rough and ready, but no less playable and whilst it it might one of the worst scenarios ever published for Call of Cthulhu, it is fortunate that all of the other scenarios more than make up for ‘Black Devil Mountain’... ‘The Auction’ is still a classic and undoubtedly the star of the anthology." — Reviews from R'lyeh.

The Asylum & Other Tales is available in the Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter. Have you backed it?

The boxed sets and PDFs on offer are not only packed-full of nostalgia from the birth of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game in 1981, but are also fully compatible with the 7th Edition of the game!