Shadows of Yog-Sothoth
From: Chaosium, Inc.
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is a new campaign adventure book from Chaosium, Inc.
From the front cover:
“A Global Call of Cthulhu Campaign to Save Mankind”
Call of Cthulhu (CoC) is one of my favorite games, but it does seem like Chaosium now is living off of reprints after reprints, adding in occasional original stuff to keep the masses happy. This is a reprint of the original Shadows of Yog-Sothoth published in 1982. It was one of the first campaign supplements printed for CoC. Despite the fact it is a reprint, however, there are some changes. This new edition includes modified episode scene changes, player-handouts, guide for the keeper, and new illustrations and diagrams. However, not having the old edition, I am unable to contrast the changes with it.
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth is a 1920s campaign of seven scenarios in which the investigators penetrate the outer layers of a secret sinister occult organization led by the lords of the Silver Twilight, a secretive, international order dedicated to the destruction of the human race. A world spanning campaign, it begins in Boston where they investigate an organization in New York, then encounter a coven in Scotland, travel the desert of the American southwest and off the coast of Maine, and explore the mysteries of the South Pacific. The investigators must piece together passages from esoteric books, shards of strange artifacts, and puzzling letters to discover the Silver Twilight’s dark goals.
It would probably be important to note that this is strictly a Basic Role Playing system campaign supplement and does not support the d20 Call of Cthulhu. I guess those days are over. I am sure many will not miss them.
The first adventure is called The Hermetic Order of the Silver Twilight. It pulls the characters directly into the action, having them join the Order and throwing them into the heat of it right away. It is an interesting approach to starting out an adventure. However, if there is a female in the party, it does make things difficult because the Order is for men only. A creative Keeper would be able to either link some of the plot to the Auxiliary for ladies or have some interesting roleplaying moments for a disguised-as-a-man woman. This adventure is the first step in penetrating the layers of plot and intrigue surrounding the Order and its evil plot. An evil undead wizard in the hierarchy of the Order hatches a plan that the investigators must foil. It says that this adventure should be played in one or two sessions.
The second adventure is Look to the Future. Due to the players actions against the Order in the previous adventure, they receive a letter from a friend. This is a short adventure that investigates a new cooperative business group called Look to the Future.
The Coven of Cannichis the third adventure. It is described as a “sprawling scenario with thirty-odd characters for the keeper to play…” and is intended to “confuse and misdirect the investigators.” It is quite intimidating by those statements alone. To try to explain it in this short forum would probably not do it justice, but it basically is an adventure that takes place in Scotland, and investigates the complex plots of several NPCs surrounding the disappearance of a friend’s uncle. This adventure is diametrically different in style and flow from the others and is put here for a purpose – to catch the players off guard and keep them guessing.
The fourth adventure, Devil’s Canyon, is a short, suspenseful adventure that is only loosely connected to the previous adventures. It is an investigation of a haunting on a Hollywood movie set. The only connection to the previous adventure is that the main connection to the plot heard about their activities in the previous adventure. This adventure pits the characters against old Indian legends and stresses suspense and mood. It should be played in one session and does contain a very important piece in the over all campaign puzzle.
From the back cover:
“The Rise of Forgotten R’Lyeh”
The fifth adventure is called The Worm that Walks. It brings the characters back to the central plot, dealing once again with the Silver Twilight. As it says in the Campaign Continuity text in this chapter, this adventure is designed to kill a character or two. It is a series of deadly encounters, surrounded by trickery and deceit. It is simple enough to say that the investigators by the time they reach this chapter, have been noticed. There are three key encounters in this adventures that the author quaintly calls Deathtraps.
The sixth adventure is called The Watchers of Easter Island. The investigators travel to the south pacific, in and around Easter Island, to investigate some disappearances. Easter Island holds many secrets, some of which were left untold. You’ve got to give kudos to the author for basing it out of Easter Island, one of the more fascinating, mysterious islands in the world. The research into the area is well done.
The final adventure of this campaign is The Rise of R’lyeh, the grand finale of it all. Stemming directly from the previous campaign, it takes the investigators several miles south of Easter Island, where they will suspect the island to R’lyeh will be raised. The text encourages the Keeper to allow the characters to guide the path of the adventure, although from reading it there is only one real choice to take. It is all a matter of how they do it, I suppose. I find this problem in many campaigns like this – the ending is pretty much a one-way path for the characters to follow. However, it takes a skilled GM/Keeper to make it feel like a path the characters chose to take on their own.
In addition to the campaign, this book includes two bonus scenarios. The People of the Monolith introduces investigators to the mysteries of the Cthulhu Mythos. No physical harm should come to the investigator. However, insanity is a strong possibility. The other bonus scenario, The Warren, presents an unsettling and sanity-wrenching challenge for even experienced investigators. This is additional material added for the reprint, and I suppose it makes it worth the buy.
In conclusion, despite the fact that it is a reprint, it is a good book. I am now itching to run a campaign like this. It is well done in that almost every adventure could be run as a single separate adventure, taking out the campaign links, and each is small enough to run in one or two nights. It is never a good idea to carry over a CoC adventure more than 2 nights. You lose the mood and some investigative information. I have run one full-length Call of Cthulhucampaign and this one makes me want to run another one. The look of the book is OK, not one of Chaosium’s best, but it is easily overlooked. Some maps are a bit small, but workable. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to runCoC.
For more details on Chaosium, Inc. and their new Campaign Adventure book “Shadows of Yog-Sothoth” check them out at their website http://www.chaosium.com and at all of your local game stores.
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth
From: Chaosium, Inc.
Type of Game: Campaign Adventure book
Written by: Sandy Petersen
Contributing Authors: John Carnahan, John Scott Clegg, Ed Gore, Marc Hutchison, Randy McCall, Ted Shelton.
Game Design by: Sandy Petersen
Developed by: Sandy Petersen
Cover Art by: Tom Sullivan
Additional Art by: Mislet Michel, Andy Hopp
Number of Pages: 150
Game Components Included: One sourcebook
Game Components NotIncluded: Core Call of Cthulhu rulebook
Retail Price: $ 23.95 (US)
Item Number: 2397
ISBN: 1-56882-174-3
Website: www.chaosium.com
Reviewed by: Ron McClung