The Children of Fear - Hardcover

NB: I've read this, not played it, so take any comments with the necessary pinch of salt. As a lot of people have commented, this isn't very Cthulhu-y. Indeed, there's a section in the beginning of the book where you can pick which Great Old One is responsible - or indeed, can pick none of them - and to some extent this feels like a bit of an afterthought, since it doesn't really seem to matter which you pick, if you do at all. The Cthulhu Mythos is just very tangential to this scenario. Instead, it is much more a study of Eastern mysticism and religion and how it can be incorporated into the CoC game. Personally, I see nothing wrong with this approach and found much of the resulting information very interesting. It is clearly deeply researched, integrating the contemporary politics with the fantastical elements quite seamlessly - a bit like reading a Tim Powers novel made into a scenario. The setting is also a favorite of mine, being Tibet, China and northern India in the late 1920s, a region which has always personally fascinated me. This seems like a magnificent achievement to me, so no complaints from me on the concept. However, the scenario itself is maybe a bit flawed in structure. As mentioned by others above, the PCs are mostly being duped by the baddies the whole way through, and as conceived they actually have to screw up to move the scenario to its climax. Even if they don't screw up, the scenario suggests the baddies then find a bunch of NPC mugs and get them to screw up (off camera) so this climax can be reached. This is a bit of a loss of agency which may irritate some players. The PCs are also led around by an NPC ally who basically directs them. To some extent this is not an unreasonable ploy as the NPC knows about the mystical requirements and can be the Keeper's mouthpiece to impact nuggets of mystical wisdom of which most PCs (and players) may not be aware. But it's a bit clunky, and again agency might be an issue here. So I would say that while a good read, I'm not so sure how it will play for some groups (the issues mentioned above won't bother some, but will bother others lots). I would still rate it as a worthwhile for the background information at the very least. But Keepers will probably need to think about how they will run it as a less than deft touch could look like a very heavy railroading hand, and it may need some revision by the Keeper to give the players the feeling that their actions matter.

This is a well researched campaign with lots of historical information. One earlier review has it quite right, this is not your standard Mythos campaign. It's more of a travel through Asia and experience the otherness of a strange culture. Events and side quests happen and that's what this campaign is really about. Yes, there is a lot of hand holding by NPCs, but all decisions are made by the PCs. A much different campaign than what most CoC veterans are used to. This book also makes a very good reference book for the area, though like a lot of other CoC books, information is buried under lots of text and isn't easy to find. More than once, I've said, "Oh, wait I read this somewhere, and can't find it." Also during play, I found my players googling various things through sheer curiosity. Definitely worth getting.

Not only if this a beautifully designed and printed book, the detail and depth of the adventure within is brilliant. I’m in the midst of a session zero to get this up and running. On another note I had another order that had that, due to my own foolishness at the checkout screen had a hiccup in process and the helpful and timely manner with which the good folk at Chaosium helped me is to be applauded.

I ran “The Children of Fear” in a profoundly Pulpy mode for my players, all new to CoC, and they had a blast! They did not expect four big-budget musical numbers, or the huge volume of tantric Buddhist lore I could spout at them at the slightest provocation, and by the end they were cross-checking a heap of gorgeous maps and handouts to work out what was going on before it was too late. Highly recommended. Lynne Hardy handles a vast amount of material with a deft touch, delivering a memorable globe-trotting campaign that’s unlike anything else.

An enjoyable adventure filled with tension and intrigue. This campaign is open enough to have your players explore Asia but detailed so you can have them guessing and questioning their every move and encounter with every contact. A slow burn that allows you to ratchet up the tension with every chapter. Only complaint is it can take a little bit to get going. 4 stars.

Children of Fear describes itself as a campaign where "A mysterious telegram plunges the investigators into an epic journey of intrigue and horror." This could not be further from the truth. Children of Fear is completely devoid of both intrigue and horror, and any group looking for either of these mainstays of Call of Cthulhu will be severely disappointed. Does that make Children of Fear a bad product or a lousy campaign? Not at all. CoF is extensively researched. The book provides excellent historical, cultural, and religious knowledge to prospective keepers. Each character and every area is portrayed brilliantly, and players will feel immersed in the different cultures of Central Asia. The meat of this game is in the journey between locations, and each leg of the trip is exciting. You'll negotiate prices for hiring a caravan, squabble with diplomats and archeologists over ownership of artifacts, etc. However, that's it. That's what the game is about, and it does that well. If you are looking to play a game about 1920s explorers, I can think of none finer than this. There is no mystery to solve, though. There are no clues, no paper trail, no tomes of eldritch lore to pore over, no vicious cultists serving dark gods. Okay, there are *some* cultists. Specific spoilers ahead: the titular Children of Fear are a cult pulling the strings the whole time. The first 6 chapters take the players on a journey orchestrated in secret by the cult, and chapter 6 culminates in the party doing the cultists ritual for them! What this means is that the players have no enemy for most of the campaign, and no active involvement with anything supernatural. The cult sends the party vague visions and actively helps them gather the 3 macguffins they need. What this means is that the sense of paranoia and mystery that Call of Cthulhu depends on to build tension is totally gone. The bad guys are ensuring the party's success, so they are never in any danger for the first 3/4ths of this campaign. Even the Keeper doesn't meet the cultists till 300 pages in! Sure, investigators will worry about sandstorms and asiatic black bears, and those parts are written marvelously, but they don't hit the same as someone's sanity eroding from the horror they saw in the ancient tomb. Speaking of horrors, the monsters in CoF are interesting. They're mostly based on Hindu and Buddhist lore and are, as a result, not really threats to anyone. They want to protect ancestors in tombs, be left alone, etc. Again, fascinating history but a total lack of horror. I really hate assigning a number out of 5 to this. Children of Fear is a labor of love (and the physical product is impeccable, and the art is just gorgeous) and I want to like it, but it isn't for me. It won't be for a lot of people. As a horror campaign, Children of Fear is just terrible, but as a game of historical fiction, I can think of none better. Know which one you want before you go in.