Filippo Franco
Two days ago I received the digital copy of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley second edition. It is a collection of scenarios for the seventh edition of Call of Cthulhu published by Chaosium Inc. I supported in the Kickstarter project. From 26 April to 31 May 2018, 22,171 pounds were raised, obtaining 418% of the funds requested. The deadline for January 2019 has been perfectly respected, at least for the digital copy. I immediately thought of sharing my first impressions with you.
The history of the project
Stygian Fox, veterans of Kickstarter with eleven projects already completed, have purchased four titles from Miskatonic River Press, a publishing house that in the meantime had closed its doors due to the premature departure of one of the founders, thus making their products out of print . The desire was to make the titles, much loved by the keepers of Call di Cthulhu, available again. They have been always appreciated for the faithful adherence to Lovecraftian themes and the quality of the proposed scenarios.
Contents
New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley second edition is a collection of seven 1920 scenarios, or tales, as they are called in the book, divided by geographical location along the valley of the Miskatonic River. The river, born from the fantasy of Lovecraft, mentioned for the first time in 1920, flows into the valley of the same name, which has become a real second home for many role-playing players of Call of Cthulhu. There are two tales set in Arkham, one in Dunwich, one in Foxfield, two in Kingsport and one in Innsmouth. These scenarios occupy an average of twenty-two pages each, making up the bulk of the manual. A large section dedicated to handouts, maps and six pre-generated characters completes it. Last mention for the preface. Knowing the story behind the first edition is a touching text full of passion and sadness.
Adventures are beautiful. Faithful to the spirit of Lovecraft and so well structured that I’m sure it must be a real pleasure to narrate them. As this is a first impression I did not go into the preparation nor did I play them. However, from a first quick reading I was left with the desire to try them and the feeling that many quality sessions can be played.
Graphics
Wonderful. Exactly what I expected for an edition of New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley. To be enjoyed with the eyes before at the game table. Gorgeous layout, text boxes, titles, images, maps, all elegantly constructed with a perfect choice of colors that makes reading easy and pleasant. Each adventure is opened by a beautiful two-page illustration, enriched by smaller but equally quality images and provided with clear and precise maps. Elegant text boxes, clippings of newspapers and notes embellish everything. I particularly appreciated the choice of colors. Titles and text boxes elegant and in perfect contrast, soft and delicate backgrounds, clear but never bright images. Very nice the graphics of the handouts and the pre-generated sheets, although I would have chosen only in this case a darker color to facilitate the reading of the data.
An example of page The beautiful table of contents
Conclusions
Very pleasantly impressed with everything. Therefore I am really satisfied with the £ 10 spent. The compulsive accumulator in me is scourged for not convincing myself to take the physical edition, but in reality even on the screen you can enjoy the quality of the product very well. Let me say once again how beautiful graphics and layout are! For the keepers in love with Call of Cthulhu 1920 it is truly highly recommended.
