Who Knows What Happens... Behind Closed Doors
Mansions of Madness Vol. 1 contains five scenarios for use with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set or the 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu: Keeper Rulebook.
Chaosium Unveiled: Inside Mansions of Madness: Vol 1
It includes two fully updated and revised classics, along with three brand new adventures, and all can be played as standalone adventures, used as sidetracks for ongoing campaigns, or strung together to form a mini-campaign spanning the 1920s. Suitable for up to six players and their Keeper, each scenario should take between one and three sessions to play through, and are an ideal next step for those who have already experienced the horrors contained within the scenario collections Doors to Darkness and Gateways to Terror.
Horror in the Greenhouse
Here are the five scenarios:
Mister Corbitt
Does a seemingly shy and retiring local businessman hide a terrible secret? Can the investigators solve the riddle and save the day?
The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse
Long considered to be a cursed place by the folk of Gamwell, it seems the Fitzgerald Manse has finally escaped its sordid past. But, no one’s seen the new owner, Arthur Cornthwaite, for quite some time. Is history repeating itself?
The Code
Summoned to the home of Dr. Kenneth Connolly by an urgent telegram, can the investigators make sense of the bizarre events afflicting Wellington Manor?
The House of Memphis
World-famous magician Memphis the Great has not been seen for weeks. Has he merely gone off on another of his legendary magic-hunting trips, or is there a more sinister reason for his disappearance?
The Nineteenth Hole
Renovation work at Thistledown Golf Club has not been running smoothly. First, there were tales of illnesses, then ghostly sightings, and now no one can find the owner. Dark shadows fall over Scotland and all is not what it seems.
Whatever you do, don't go up the Attic!
This supplement is best used with the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set or the Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) roleplaying game and, optionally, with the Pulp Cthulhu sourcebook, available separately.
Call of Cthulhu
Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium’s tabletop roleplaying game of mystery and horror set within the world of the Cthulhu Mythos. Players take on the role of investigators of the strange, arcane, and unknown: regular people taking a stand despite the cost to body and soul. Against weird cults, bizarre magic, and otherworldly monsters, only they can save humanity and the world from the terrors from beyond.
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What The Critics Say
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An excellent revitalization of a classic collection and definitely has enough new content to be a worthwhile purchase even if you have earlier editions of the collection."
— Never Read the Latin, Review: Mansions of Madness Volume 1: Behind Closed Doors.
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"A fun ride... you'll have a great time playing these adventures."
— Really Dicey, YouTube Review.
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"Overall 5/5 – This collection of tales of troubled real estate offers a variety of fun and innovative approaches to a well-worn horror trope. Investigators and Keepers are likely to get some great gaming out of this collection."
— H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, Review: Mansions of Madness Volume 1: Behind Closed Doors.
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“Mansions of Madness’s ‘The Crack'd and Crook'd Manse’ [is a] top-notch spooky house scenario, perfect for groups of any experience level, being simple enough for new players, but with enough meat and surprises to keep experienced gamers on their toes.”
— MJRRPG, The Crack’d and Crook’d Manse Review – Call of Cthulhu (Mansions of Madness.
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“Short scenarios packed full of content are a keeper’s delight. Especially when it’s a whole collection of deadly and sharp scenarios, that will not only scare you but also take you to horrible places you have never been before.”
— Stygian Muse, Book Review: Mansions of Madness.
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Product Footer
Footer Name:
- Publisher:
- Chaosium
- Year Released:
- 2020
- Ruleset:
- Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
- Format:
- Full Color Hardcover
- Page Count:
- 224
- ISBN:
- 978-1-56882-424-6
- Author(s):
- Stuart Boon, Shaun DeWolfe, Gavin Inglis, Christopher Lackey, Mark Morrison
- Cover Artist:
- Lee Gibbons
- Interior Artists:
- Dan Barker, Lee Gibbons, Doruk Golcu, Josu Hernaiz, Rachel Kahn, M. Wayne Miller, Matthew Mooney
- Cartography and Handouts:
- Miska Fredman
- Layout:
- Nicholas Nacario
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It's All About the Handouts
So much of a good Call of Cthulhu adventure relies on the handouts. Mansions of Madness has some refreshed adventures from past books and some new ones but the biggest highlight for me is the fantastic handouts and NPC profile pictures. The pictures for adventures I'm not using are the often becoming recurring NPCs and my group is loving it.
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Quality stories
I haven't run these yet but I have read them. I appreciate the differences between these five scenarios. Great twists on haunted houses.
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It's good
Solid book with a nice layout and stellar artwork. A few of the scenarios are yog-sothoth themed, but generally only loosely, giving keepers flexibility of chaining them together while still making them perfectly viable as one shots. You get a good variety of setups here. Mr. Corbitt in particular works best as a sidetrack for a larger campaign, and the scenario states as much. The others are more traditional one shots that are laid out very nicely. The decision to make handouts sections printed on plain white paper is a boon for those with photocopiers. Overall, a solid addition to the 7E library.
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Looking forward to eventually running it!
I'm not generally one for leaving public reviews, but since we've got three one-star reviews from one person, I feel a bit more inclined to say my piece! I'm actually an up-and-coming Keeper, so I haven't had a chance to run these scenarios (or any scenarios) as of yet. However, as I look through the pages, I have to say that I'm excited to run them when I get the opportunity! I also want to say that when you buy pre-written scenarios, they may not necessarily perfectly meet the needs of your group. However, the cool thing about tabletop RPGs is that GMs/Keepers have the freedom to easily make changes as they please! I know that may sound like a crazy idea to some people out there, but it's true. However, for that reason, I would recommend against purchasing this if you're too lazy to do what a Keeper is meant to do.
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Lots of fun for my group
My group has had alot of fun with this book. We have so far been through 3 of the scenarios (sprinkled across our sessions) and they have been hits every time. One of the best was when I turn Mister corbits into a NPC the PCs had come to trust, leaving them very conflicted on how to handle the situation. Another keeper I know got the book, for the sake of privacy let's call him Zach. Now Zach has a group that can't make regular games for long campaigns. So he is upset because there is alot Yog in this book and thinks it is mandatory to run this as a campaign because of that. I told him that he can change the enemies or objectives of the antagonists. He said that was too much WORK to do for something he paid for. As if any and every book has to work exactly for his given situation like some man child. I said OK then just spread the scenarios apart so it's not just yog after yog. Guess what, he said NO that's too much work and doesn't fit his exact situation. This guy even said he could plop in ANY outer God into the scenarios and it would still make sense. To me that says these scenarios are very adaptable to a large range of keeper needs and situations but for him it means it doesn't work for him. TLDR- Book is great! Zach is
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Quality Book
I do not usually write reviews but felt compelled to after seeing the negative reviews (apparently all from 1 person). I have only read the introductory chapter and first scenario so as not to spoil the rest in case I play. First, the quality is excellent. Second, I love the cover art. After reading the first scenario which appears to be 1 of the 2 updated scenarios out of the 5 total in this book, I feel confident, as a relatively new keeper and as someone new to TTRPG in general, in taking the next step towards running more intermediate level scenarios after having only run a few scenarios from the starter set and Doors to Darkness book. Although I cannot speak to the criticisms of some of the repetitive themes noted by the other poster, this book is clearly marketed as and described by the authors as a collection of haunted house scenarios. Seems silly to fault a book for what is clearly a feature.
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Fun and Adaptable
Bought this when it came out but have finally had a chance to run some of the chapters. They have been great so far. As a Keeper, I love how adaptable the stories can be. It allowed me to think of how the player choices would actually impact the outcome and gave the freedom for it to be unique to them.. My investigators loved the mood of The Code. We all had a lot of fun, especially the players new to the game. There is a solid mix of mystery (& investigating) and horror. Any Keeper looking to expand your collection, I highly recommend this book.
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Ignore the hater
It's a book called Mansions of Madness. What did you expect? An extremely varied collection of locales? Don't trash Chaosium for not doing your own research.