Trouble in Pinewood by Tineke Bolleman is a free 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.
The supplement is available for free from DriveThruRPG as a 15-page PDF. One page is the front cover, one the front matter and one the Table of Contents.
The Introduction explains that this adventure takes place in the fictional town of Pinewood in Massachusetts.
Adventure Summary summarises the adventure; the investigators are passing through the town, staying the night, when one of the residents seeks help after her husband disappeared whilst confronting an intruder. The characters can help look for him. The Background explains the town used to be troubled by a creature that was trapped in some caves; Present Day explains that bootleggers accidentally freed it and it is hunting again.
Adventure Hooks assumes the characters are simply passing through, but if they need an incentive, jewellery is offered as a reward.
Adapting the Adventure has details for changing the timer period, story premise and the investigators.
Notes for the Keeper explains all checks are normal difficulty unless otherwise stated.
Chapter 1 – The Town of Pinewood has the characters arrive in town and get accommodation, being woken during the night by screams. The investigators may be able to help the police search the butcher’s shop.
Chapter 2 – Into the Woods has the investigators and the senior policeman following a trail from the shop into the woods where they will find a well.
Chapter 3 – Down the Well has them descending the well and ending up in some caves where the creature lairs.
Conclusion has four different outcomes depending on which of the policeman and butcher lives, if either. Any future repercussions are up to the Keeper.
Appendix A – NPCs and Monsters has stats for the policeman and the monster and a description of the NPC renting rooms.
Appendix B – Handouts has a map of the butcher shop and a single page character sheet for the policeman.
There is also a zip file containing a jpg map of the butcher’s shop and a two-page PDF character sheet for the policeman.
Trouble in Pinewood in Review
The PDF is bookmarked with major and minor sections linked. The Table of Contents is to a similar level of depth. Navigation is decent. The text maintains a two-column format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a number of black and white and colour stock images used, as well as the map. Presentation is okay.
There are essentially two main encounters in this. The first is searching the butcher’s shop for clues, the second is confronting the creature in caves reached via the well. This makes it a fairly simple adventure. The outcome does appear to be more dependent on what the Keeper decides; one, both or none of the NPCs surviving makes a significant difference to the aftermath and that seems to be more up to the Keeper than how the players react, which isn’t so good. That could be largely obviated with some skill tests, though. The adventure could easily be dropped into another small town, or more probably village, in the typical 1920s Call of Cthulhu New England region. Trouble in Pinewood is a reasonable adventure and it can be found by clicking here.
Leave a Reply