A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement For One Night Only: A Brief Brush With Chaos

For One Night Only: A Brief Brush With Chaos by Genevieve Colter is a role playing game supplement published by Chaosium Inc. through the Miskatonic Repository Community Content Program for use with Call of Cthulhu, the horror role playing game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

This is a nine-page PDF that is available as Pay What You Want from DriveThruRPG. Two pages are the front and rear covers and one page is the Credits.

The Introduction explains that this is one of series of short, open-ended mini scenarios, which are not fully fleshed-out and have no SAN rewards. This adventure is intended for the characters to encounter one of the forms of Nyarlathotep. They will receive a letter from a famous illusionist, Thoth the Magnificent, inviting them to an upcoming performance. There are sidebars on Nyarlathotep and on Egyptomania in the 1920s; the scenario is intended to be run in that period.

Most of the supplement is taken up by descriptions of the show, SAN losses that could be incurred during it, and how Thoth/Nyarlathotep can use its powers to get investigators to go along with the show. Thoth will torment the investigators and make them offers. The Keeper can also use Thoth to impart some useful information.

Finally, there are stats for Thoth the Magnificent.

For One Night Only: A Brief Brush With Chaos in Review

The PDF is decently bookmarked with many of the sections linked. Navigation is okay but it could be better. The text maintains a two column partially-coloured format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a few black stock illustrations and another. Presentation is okay.

Out of the box, this is not complete, and it is stated that it isn’t. A Keeper will probably need to come up with information for Nyarlathotep to impart to investigators, otherwise this scenario has the potential to be highly annoying. Nyarlathotep may be simply tormenting the investigators for his own entertainment, but this doesn’t make for that enjoyable gameplay – especially as there are lots of potential sanity losses with no gains. For One Night Only: A Brief Brush With Chaos is a framework that needs enhancing in order to use and it can be checked out for free by clicking here.