Author: Keeper Doc

Cat Links Conventions

Chaosium Con II: Totally Mad(Re)cap

Posted on Keeper Doc

Disclaimer: Advance apologies. I wrote this on a 9-hour flight after four amazing, sleep-deprived days in the company of mind-blowingly fantastic people.  Thanks to anyone correcting my errors. Last year, even with the pains of COVID and minor first event hiccups, Chaosium Con stood out as my spring highlight. I anxiously awaited the announcement of the sequel. In the meantime, I resolved to spend just a little less time at the gaming table, attend the auction, hit some of the great panels, and slowly peruse the vendor hall next time. The moment the dates dropped, I had my schedule blocked, the vacation requests in, and spousal approval pending review.  As the convention schedule rolled out,

Read on…Chaosium Con II: Totally Mad(Re)cap

Cat Links Keeper Tips

Inside the Mind of a Convention GM with Matt McCloud

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On the eve of Chaosium Con II, we sat down with veteran Keeper Matthew McCloud, the chief organizer, hype-man, and dark heart of Lurking Fears, a collective of dedicated gamemasters offering “the very best in horror and grimdark roleplaying.” In addition to offering some of the finest Call of Cthulhu events available at conventions across the United States, they have grown an impressive assortment of relationships with companies like Free League, Mongoose Publishing, and Bloat Games to name a few. Players can expect a wide and constantly growing variety of incredible games in a Lurking Fears room with an equally impressive array of GMs. Lurking Fears will be running games at Gen Con for Chaosium

Read on…Inside the Mind of a Convention GM with Matt McCloud

Cat Links MoN - Keeper

Returning to the 4th Edition, part 1

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The creative team behind the latest edition of Masks of Nyarlathotep brought some great changes and a wealth of useful information to Keepers tackling this epic adventure. This version is far and away the best version of this campaign, but it stands atop four phenomenal earlier editions. In this process of growth, some interesting pieces of the campaign fell away. Some things changed for the sake of balance, consistency, and inclusion. We particularly appreciate the presence of Zahra Shafik over Tewfik al-Sayed.  Others alterations stand out as creative choices. A few, surprisingly represent a loss of granularity, for better or worse. We will tour some of the smaller differences between the fourth and fifth editions

Read on…Returning to the 4th Edition, part 1

Cat Links MoN - Keeper, New York

Masks and the Half Moon

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This post is brought to you by Steve Reynolds and Jose Manuel Caballero as an abridged excerpt from their ongoing herculean work The Unpleasant Complement to Masks: New York.  Warning: Contains Secrets of New York spoilers Secrets of New York (SoNY), a 6th Edition publication, provides an excellent supplementary resource for any Call of Cthulhu campaign set in the Big Apple. Being the world’s largest city in 1925, the thriving metropolis is well-served by having a wealth of period material to draw upon when the investigators venture far afield or wish to spend more time exploring the city. This sourcebook pairs quite nicely with Harlem Unbound in crafting a detailed depiction of 1920s New York.  

Read on…Masks and the Half Moon

Cat Links MoN - Keeper, New York

Masks of Harlem Unbound – Part 2

Posted on Keeper Doc

This post is brought to you by Steve Reynolds and Jose Manuel Caballero as an abridged excerpt from their ongoing herculean work The Unpleasant Complement to Masks: New York.  Warning: Contains Harlem Unbound Spoilers This is the second installment from the Unpleasant Complement to Masks: New York providing suggestions and options for incorporating Harlem Unbound’s scenarios into the New York Chapter. For an introduction and information about “The Contender” and “An Ode for the Lost” see Part 1.  YOUR NAME IN THE BOOK This historical scenario set in Dutch Haarlem brings the investigators into contact with the Black Man avatar of Nyarlathotep. This journey back to 1680 provides early direct contact with the campaign’s titular

Read on…Masks of Harlem Unbound – Part 2

Cat Links MoN - Keeper, New York

Masks of Harlem Unbound – Part 1

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This post is brought to you by Steve Reynolds and Jose Manuel Caballero as an abridged excerpt from their ongoing herculean work The Unpleasant Complement to Masks: New York.  Warning: Contains Harlem Unbound Spoilers Harlem Unbound is Chris Spivey’s wonderful supplement for Call of Cthulhu, currently in its second edition. In addition to incredible historical detail and game tools, this outstanding sourcebook contains brilliant and often heart-wrenching scenarios. If you have the time and inclination to include them in your MoN campaign, you can expect these adventures to enrich everyone’s experience and bring 1920s Harlem into the well-deserved spotlight. This is the first of several excerpts from the Unpleasant Complement to Masks: New York, in

Read on…Masks of Harlem Unbound – Part 1

Cat Links China, Tomes

Mythos Tomes – Secret Mysteries of Asia

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Location: Madam Lin’s Collection in the House of Quiet Repose, Shanghai Physical Description: Handwritten in purple ink, bound in cloth-covered board, and embossed with Lin Yenyu’s personal seal Author: Gottfried Mülder, original author. Translated to Mandarin by an unknown party.  Publication History: A rare text, originally published in Leipzig in 1847 almost three decades after a year-long trek into the heart of China. Contains a painstakingly detailed recollection of conversations and revelations compiled by Mülder, a German occultist, following the violent death of his close friend and eccentric colleague, Friedrich von Junzt. Labeled seditious, blasphemy, nearly all copies were seized and incinerated by King Frederick Augustus II in 1848 shortly before he dissolved parliament. This

Read on…Mythos Tomes – Secret Mysteries of Asia

Cat Links Australia, Tomes

Mythos Tomes – Gods of Reality

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Location: Huston’s Headquarters (Australia) Huston’s Castle (Dreamlands) Physical Description: Hand-written, unbound manuscript organized neatly into six 100-page stacks (Australia). Glittering platinum bound tome with jewels (Dreamlands). Author:  Robert E. Huston, MD Publication History: Written during his Australian excavation, he intends to have it etched onto platinum panels to line his throne room when he ascends to his rightful position as Grand Emperor of the Earth.  Skim:  This tome reads as a quasi-religious manifesto in which Huston outlines the nature of the universe and humanity’s relationship as distilled through his psychospiritual dissection of the human mind. The very first page reveals the doctor’s limitless ego, as he extols his wisdom as greater than any of the world’s

Read on…Mythos Tomes – Gods of Reality

Cat Links MoN - Keeper, New York

Another Dead Man in New York

Posted on Keeper Doc

This is the first in a series of articles produced by the team of Steve Reynolds and Jose Manuel Caballero. They’ve paired painstaking research with their immense creativity to create an even more expansive and intriguing New York chapter. We will be sharing just a fraction of their efforts here at Prospero House for your consideration and use. In their first article, they will be helping Keepers integrate the classic Call of Cthulhu scenario, Dead Man Stomp. This is perfect timing as the latest version of this Harlem adventure is available in PDF for less than a dollar as part of the Call of Cthulhu Starter Set.  Warning: Spoilers for Dead Man Stomp below! Building

Read on…Another Dead Man in New York

Cat Links Keeper Tips

Dark Diversions: Six Reasons to Sidetrack in MoN

Posted on Keeper Doc

You crack open Masks of Nyarlathotep for the first time. The crisp binding crackles as you breathe in that new book smell and admire the bright red ribbon page marker knowing it won’t be long before your cat chews the end into a frayed tangle. You eagerly flip through the pages. As you pause to admire the beautiful artwork, you note a heading entitled “Sidetrack Scenario”. You think to yourself, “I wonder what that is, probably just an add-on. But we will be so busy with the main story, I won’t have time to prep anything extra.” But wait! I urge you to pause and rethink skipping the sidetrack scenarios and listen to my case.

Read on…Dark Diversions: Six Reasons to Sidetrack in MoN