The Unravelling: A Starting Point for 1890’s Adventures by Genevieve Colter is a role playing game supplement published by Chaosium Inc. through the Miskatonic Repository Community Content Programme for use with Call of Cthulhu, the horror role playing game based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
This is a seven-page PDF that is available as a Pay What You Want supplement from DriveThruRPG. Two pages are the front and rear covers and one page is the Credits and front matter.
The Introduction explains that the adventure is a mini-scenario, rather than being a complete campaign. It is set in the Victorian era of Cthulhu by Gaslight, a setting which hasn’t been updated for 7th Edition yet. A sidebar covers the Order of the Midnight Circle a private club in which the scenario is set. Using This Starter explains that it isn’t a full adventure, simply a starter that is intended to get new investigators together, in a location where they meet potential allies and have an unusual experience. In playtesting, the scenario has been connected with “The Black Cat”, extrapolated from Masks of Nyarlathotep. Other options for Keepers are “Edge of Darkness”, “Thoth’s Dagger”, from Cthulhu Casebook, and Horror on the Orient Express.
The scenario has the investigators attending the unwrapping of a mummy at the club – a common event in that period as mummies were extremely common. There is a curse written on the sarcophagus, and it takes effect as the mummy comes to live and leaves. As stated, this is not a complete scenario; it is up to the Keeper to have the mummy return at some point. Finally, there are stats given for several NPCs.
The Unravelling: A Starting Point for 1890’s Adventures in Review
The PDF is bookmarked, but only some of the sections are linked. Navigation is okay for a short supplement, but it could be better. The text maintains a two-column mostly black and white format and appeared to be free of errors. There are some stock illustrations. Presentation is okay.
This is simply a scenario for getting a new group of investigators together, and linking them with some potential allies or rivals. It is deliberately unfinished and it is up to the Keeper to finish it if required, by having the investigators deal with the wandering mummy. As an introduction, it does work, but it intentionally requires more development. Plus, by being members of a club that was founded by investigators, new ones could be brought in comparatively easily as they could be other members. The Unravelling: A Starting Point for 1890’s Adventures is a decent campaign starter and it can be found by clicking here.
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