Author: Keeper Doc

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

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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

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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

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Cat Links MoN - Keeper, New York

Another Dead Man in New York

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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

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Cat Links Keeper Tips

Dark Diversions: Six Reasons to Sidetrack in MoN

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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.

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Cat Links Keeper Tips, MoN - Keeper, MoN - Player

Peering into the Abyss: The Cthulhu Mythos Skill

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Of all the skills on an investigator’s character sheet, the most alluring, but least used is Cthulhu Mythos. This suits the Lovecraftian perspective that humans stumble around ignorantly in a massive and incomprehensibly dark universe. The limited access to eldritch insight serves both Keeper and players well when aiming to capture this particular tone; however, it potentially restricts players aiming to recreate investigators in the image of Dr. Henry Armitage or Keepers intending to run a double-barrel Pulp Cthulhu campaign. We intend to review the use of the Cthulhu Mythos skill in the Classic and Pulp settings and introduce a Pulp-oriented Cthulhu Mythos skill expansion. The discussion seeks to inspire both Keepers and players to

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Cat Links Keeper Tips

Maps – The Dare

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SPOILERS BELOW. PLAYERS KEEP OUT! OR PAY THE PRICE! Undeniably one of the finest Halloween one-shot scenarios for Call of Cthulhu, “The Dare” by Kevin Ross received a loving remaster and release by Sentinel Hill Press in 2020. There is much to be said about the merits of this 80s-based scenario, and some seasoned Keepers have already weighed in here and here. Ain’t Slayed Nobody produced a glorious actual play with a talented cast capturing the nostalgic magic encapsulated in the ultimate (and only) Kid-Cthulhu scenario. Our exclusion of the attic is fully intentional, as we heavily improvised this location based on player choices (among other reasons), but we may add this in the future. 

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Cat Links Egypt, MoN - Keeper

Egyptian Mythos Artifacts

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As befits the rich history of Egypt, the chapter contains a multitude of artifacts for investigators to seek out and recover. In addition to the Adornments of Nitocris, two additional items center around the resurrection plot, including the Sword of Akmallah and the Circlet of Nata Haje. The investigators also potentially receive a gift from a priestess of Bast in return for their aid during the sidetrack scenario, The Black Cat. While none of these items serve instrumental roles in the campaign, they offer added protection to vulnerable investigators in their perilous adventures. Sword of Akmallah Location: Ibn Tulun Mosque Description: a four-foot-long curved sword closely resembling an Afghani pulwar with an exquisitely crafted Damascus

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Cat Links Conventions

Necronomicon 2022 – Attendee Highlights

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We sent out a call to other NecronomiCon attendees and received some responses that really captured the spirit of the experience and community at large. This is a small, but incredibly representative collection of highlights. Even though we are but insignificant specks in a vast, uncaring cosmos at the mercy of the outer gods, it’s really good to hang out and see people again.   Dave Sokoll: My name is David, I’m 43 years old, and this was my first convention, ever. Providence is my hometown, so it was easy for me to be there. My mom also lives here, and she watched my 4-year-old son during the Con. I wanted to do something nice for

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Cat Links Conventions, MoN - Keeper, MoN - Player

We are Providence – Necronomicon 2022 Recap

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“There is Providence, quaint and lordly on its seven hills over the blue harbour, with terraces of green leading up to steeples and citadels of living antiquity…”  The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft In 2021, the world continued to suffer from a pitiless contagion while the stars above spun out of alignment leading to the cancellation of the fifth Necronomicon in Providence, Rhode Island. While veteran attendees lamented breaking the odd-year cycle, they happily flocked to Lovecraft’s beloved hometown for the international festival of weird fiction, art, and academia once more this year as it ran from August 18th through 21st. For us at Prospero House, this was our first sojourn to the

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