Terror Itself - inaugural community content in the Miskatonic Repository
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 22nd Dec 2017
TERROR ITSELF is one of the inaugural contributions to the Miskatonic Repository, Chaosium's new community content initiative for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu material.
A scenario set in the classic 1920s period, TERROR ITSELF is a good example of the sort of material we hope many more budding Call of Cthulhu writers will bring forth, unleashing the terrors within them!
TERROR ITSELF is available to purchase and download now from the Miskatonic Repository—here's the pitch-line:
It’s the find of a lifetime. A dried out riverbed, full of pre-colonial relics, untouched since it bore witness to a brutal battle sometime in the twelfth century. A team of Miskatonic University researchers are dispatched to Clayton River at once, and by July 10th, 1927, work is underway.
Then the first people go missing.
TERROR ITSELF pits 2 – 6 investigators against an invisible threat, that’s vanishing the local population one by one. Trapped in the isolated, rural town of Clayton, Massachusetts, investigators must put an end to the abductions, lest they be taken next. Most city dwellers would die for a chance to lounge by a river during the long summer nights. Unless they're careful, investigators will do just that...
Lillian Cohen-Moore recently spoke to one of TERROR ITSELF's co-authors, James Coquillat:
Q: Tell us something about your scenario that isn't in its description.
We really worked hard creating a sense of morality in this campaign. The investigation, which we carefully fine-tuned, slowly pulls you towards the kind of choice you really don’t want to have to make. There’s a great deal of roleplaying opportunity presented to investigators. I can’t go into more detail without risking spoilers, but remember that the apathetic forces of the universe affect the guilty and innocent alike.
Q: When it comes to the Cthulhu Mythos, what keeps you interested in it?
It’s the sense of the unknown that keeps pulling me back. I love stories of all kinds, but there’s no other world I’ve immersed myself in that kept me so consistently on edge, confused, and ultimately, afraid. The Cthulhu Mythos has the primal aspects of storytelling; discovery, anticipation, and panic, encoded into its DNA. Every time you witness the true, awesome, scale of its universe, it leaves you stunned. You never know the real extent of what’s going on.
That feeling, as well as its keen historical focus, and wild level of creative freedom, draws me back in to the Mythos every time. It’s human enough to seem real, and alien enough to seem anything but.
Q: What do you do when you're not terrifying your fellow Call of Cthulhu fans?
I get terrified by them myself. Hah!
In all seriousness though, nothing too exciting. Movies, games, work, and spending time with my partner. Perhaps the most interesting thing I’ve done recently is start reading history books. I picked up the hobby while assisting with Reign of Terror. My most recent read is a history of the 20th century, where each year is summed up by a cryptic crossword clue.
Q: Give us a quick bio:
James Coquillat is a video games and tabletop writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s had the good fortune to work with companies like League of Geeks and Chaosium. When not staring blearily at a fumbled roll, or fearfully at a final boss, James is furiously writing for projects like Armello and Reign of Terror.
Q: Apart from your work in the Miskatonic Repository, where else can people find you?
@robopelican - James @goodshipfuntrip - David
A 1920s Call of Cthulhu scenario for 2-6 players
Authors: David Naylor & James Coquillat
Game System: Call of Cthulhu
Format: 24 page PDF. Color.
Price: $3.95