Wicker Hollow by Matthew Hepler 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 modern day scenario.
The supplement is available as a 39 page Pay What You Want PDF from DriveThruRPG. One page is the front cover, one the front matter, one a Contents Warning and one the Table of Contents.
Overview explains that a group of students from the University of New Hampshire head out for a weekend of hiking with a mutual friend following a tragedy, unaware they are heading for a sacrifice.
Scene 1 – Prologue has the characters heading to a friend’s apartment for a party, during which several items catch fire and finally one NPC setting fire to and killing another NPC.
Scene 2 – Investigation has the characters investigating some clues they found to try and determine what was going on.
Scene 3 – The Sacrifice has them heading out on a hike, only to discover that they are going to be sacrificed, unless they manage to escape.
Ending the Scenario explains that there are several ways the characters could successfully conclude it. along with Sanity awards.
Stat Blocks has stats for the relevant NPCs.
Following this are nine pages of handouts, one to a page, three pages of maps, again one to a page, with one being a Keeper version, and twelve pages of pre-generated character sheets, each taking up three pages.
Wicker Hollow in Review
The PDF is bookmarked, but not usefully with only the character sheets linked. The Table of Contents is thorough and supposedly hyperlinked, but the hyperlinks don’t work. There are also some internal hyperlinks that also do not work. Navigation is a lot poorer than it’s supposed to be. The text maintains a two-column format and some errors were noticed. Bar the cover and the maps, there are some stock images used on some handouts. Presentation is adequate.
This is an okay, though potentially deadly, little scenario, though as presented, it’s perhaps best used as a one-shot. However, it would be comparatively easy to change a number of factors, such as location or time period; with only comparatively minimal changes, it could be set in the 1920s-30s and have the characters be students at Miskatonic University, making it possible to integrate the adventure into a Miskatonic Valley campaign. Wicker Hollow can be found by clicking here.
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