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After the excellent job done on Cthulhu by Gaslight it is understandable that they'd want to re-do another classic module. I just think they should have finished up what was already on their plates first. It's good to re-issue an old favorite, but Chaosium also needs to be producing a bunch of new "old favorites."

Well, CoC has been Chaosium's flagship and main product for a long time now. The company made an attempt to regain its earlier diversity with the BRP push, and BRP titles have won a lot of awards, but we don't know how actual sales have gone compared to the flagship stuff. It didn't help that a lot of BRP material was monographs, which don't see distribution outside the Chaosium website. The success of the Orient Express kickstarter seems to have turned the small staff's collective head, causing it to postpone other in-progress projects to pursue a perceived CoC money-maker. I can think of more cost-effective research methods than a personal trip to Turkey, but maybe the staff members were due a vacation anyway. Hope the trip provided a lot more in-depth info than blog posts indicated. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Astounding Adventures, Interplanetary, and other non-Mythos, non-elves-and-dwarves fantasy titles that have been announced. I'm also curious about the status of last year's (and the year before's) writing contests, since I worked hard to contribute. I still think Chaosium needs to diversify its product line since three or four other games are competing in the Lovecraftian mystery genre. Chaosium is no longer THE Cthulhu company; it needs to have more eggs in more baskets.

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Two recorded prayers to the entity known as "Monsura," divine protector of the Earth (though not necessarily of humanity). One of the few creatures capable of defeating Godzilla, Monsura (Mothra in English) has battled threats from Outside on numerous occasions to preserve the planet and its ecology. It is worshiped by the primitive inhabitants of an isolated Pacific island (the exact name and location keeps changing) and is served by a pair of identical dimunitive priestesses who are apparently some sort of supernatural beings themselves. They control access to the deity. Monsura engages in a continual cycle of growth, death, and rebirth. Its massive winged form never perishes without leaving one (sometimes two) giant eggs ready to hatch, the larvae ready to avenge their mother and take her place the instant they hatch. In "Godzilla vs. Mothra vs. Battra" it was possible for humans, acting in a just cause, to summon Monsura by singing her prayers and/or by recreating her symbol (a cross combined with a circle) in a place open to the sky. Despite their offenses against Nature, people are part of the Earth's ecosystem, after all. So, is there a place for a "friendly" monster-god in Call of Cthulhu? Mothra certainly would oppose alien beings seeking to corrupt the world, and has the power to do so. On the other hand, we're talking about an insect the size of a battleship, so she'd cause SAN loss just like any Mythos entity. Friendly or not, she's big, bulky and can cause a lot of collateral damage merely traveling from Point A to Point B in a crowded urban setting. Both her priestesses and her human worshipers have had bad experiences with foreigners (the Japanese, American military personnel) and are apt to be hostile or suspicious if contact is attempted. What do you think? And how would you stat her up?

Meanwhile, the gunmen have drifted to opposite corners of the room. The tall one (Chaney) idly plays with a handfull of ball bearings; he casually flattens one between his thumb and forefinger and grins at the nearest PC. The lights of a passing automobile momentarily backlight the blinds behind the unholy trio up front. With a successful Spot roll, an adventurer glimpses an ape-like silhouette apparently clinging to the second-story windowsill. Mrs. (Greer) must have left an envelope containing some "native trinkets" in the player-characters' keeping, Lorre suggests with mock patience. "Please be so kind as to hand it over, as it didn't belong to her but to myself and my associates. We would very much like to have our property returned." The PCs can recall no such envelope.

Two well-armed torpedoes (Humphrey Bogart and Lon Chaney, Jr.) usher the PCs none-too-gently into the plush upper floor conference room of the Khemet Club. Smoking silently at the head of the table are three immaculately dressed men (Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff). They glower at the adventurers, except for Lorre, who smirks cruelly as if at some private joke. A thin young man (Vincent Price) perches unobtrusively on the edge of the bar in the far corner of the room. He produces a stenographer's pad and a pen as Lugosi announces, "Please be seated." It isn't a request. What happens next? Or, how did the PCs come to be in this position?

The Orient Express apparently derailed other projects.

INT 1 or 2 is fine. Didn't mean to make you feel bad. A dumb zombie is a happy zombie. Assuming they still feel any emotion other than hunger, that is. On the other hand, once you've gotten your players used to mindless, shambling mobs you might want to shake things up by springing a smart zombie or two on them, creatures that employ team and/or ambush tactics, that remember and learn from previous encounters with the player-characters (assuming that both the adventurers and the monsters survive). Now that's scary! The smart ones were originally part of the undead mob but have survived by observing how their companions were destroyed at the PCs' hands and have taken appropriate steps to avoid the same sorts of fates. The more of the crowd the adventurers eliminate, the smarter and more cunning the remaining zombies become. Ultimately, a clever corpse might linger long enough to become a personal nemesis for one or more the the PCs, might figure out how to preserve what remains of itself rather than collapsing from the inevitable creeping decay.

I've finished skimming CoC 6th and The 1920s Investigators' Guide, which I also got. Personally, I would have been willing to ditch some of the seemingly endless Mythos fluff stuff in the main book to add in more of the period detail. Some reviewers have said the Guide is of limited use, but to me it would be an essential tool to getting the right feel. As is, the main book mentions three possible campaign eras in passing but doesn't give much advice or info on differentiating them. At its heart, though, CoC is a historical adventure game. That's what I always loved about the old Justice, Inc., for Hero System. Unlike competitors like Daredevils and Rolemaster Pulp Adventure -- which spent most of their bulk on game mechanics then threw in a page or two of timelines and prices and the admonition "Go read Doc Savage" -- Justice, Inc., gave you a whole campaign book describing the 1920s and '30s (both the real era and the one depicted in fiction and media), To be fair, Daredevils adventure modules are pulp adventure gold, but the main rulebook gives you nada.

Well, 3-5 INT is as smart as many household pets. Do you really want your zombies to be as clever as Lassie or Rin-Tin-Tin? "What? You dropped Timmy in the well? Quit mumbling, I can't understand you! Whadda you mean you don't have any lips?"

Bad, bad idea, regardless of game mechanics. Of course the demon is going to pretend to be submissive and obedient -- right up to the instant when it pounces on the the sorcerer or betrays him fatally in his supposed moment of triumph. "Gotcha!" The worship of Nergal, Babylonian ruler of the underworld, was centered in a dark city populated largely by lawyers and tax accountants. Get a clue, people!

I would say yes because an extra arm or arms provided by Structural Improvement is a full-fledged body part just like the character's normal arms. That said, while it might give a boost to STR for the purposes of exerting force or hanging onto something, the extra arm(s) won't necessarily give the character a bonus to hit or an extra attack per combat round -- unless your GM says otherwise. And the character would take the normal penalties for two-handed (in this case, three-handed?) sword technique (assuming BRP has such an option; check with all these RuneQuest grognards).

I've gradually been getting to browse the copy of Call of Cthulhu 6th edition I got before Christmas. I've enjoyed reading (and helping my kids stat up characters). But I find the book's layout awfully busy and distracting. Maybe I've been "spoiled" by the minimal art in other publishers' game books. Pictures, line art, silhouettes, alternating panels of black-on-white text and white-on-black text, alternating fonts, watermarked backgrounds, interspersed with full-page drawings and paintings ... it's as if the art department failed its SAN roll. Perhaps that's the effect Chaosium wanted to achieve. But sometimes less is more. To me, the Big Gold Book struck the right balance between illustrations and text and is much easier to read. What do y'all think?

Limiting knowledge is a good idea, and the basis of terror. When they confront a creature, player-characters shouldn't yawn, "Ah. Centaur, 4th level." They should exclaim, "OMG, what is THAT?" This is true whether your campaign is based on Greek mythology, sword and sorcery tales, the Cthulhu saga, or a kid's history book on Columbus. Mentioned the last because that's the era you described in your OP. Think of Chris and crew Boldly Going Where No Man Has Gone Before. Sure, they're scared to begin with, but mere animals aren't going to freak them out -- unless the whale pursues and attacks their ship, or unless that group of monkeys follows them, half unseen and making weird noises, the whole time they are exploring an island, snatching at their clothing if they happen to turn their back on the shadows. A sea serpent, on the other hand, is inherently unnatural -- but something the crew partially expected to encounter. The difference between the whale and the sea serpent and monkeys and hostile man-like things is perception, what's in a name. When planning your encounters, describe what the PCs see and hear -- or think they see and hear -- instead of naming a critter.

Welcome, PlanarRambler. Kudos for researching the history of your setting. In planning my own campaigns, I've found that the best fantasies have a skeleton of fact. It really is true that people have done things wilder than any Keeper or science fiction author could come up with on his own, and real-life mysteries abound. Throw a few of those nuggets into your game, as well as some of the people you'll learn about in your studies. In addition to lending verisimilitude, it will provide you with lots of nifty plot hooks.

I'd take a cue from classic sword and sorcery fiction: Things That Were Once Men, assorted semi-intelligent manlike/apelike killers of no particular species (either loners or whole degenerate tribes), giant spiders/snakes/snails/octopi/lizards that may or may not be worshiped as gods by the locals, ancient skeletal sorcerers who just won't stay dead when you mess with their stuff, etc.

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?673061-Glorantha-So-Ducks FYI, There's an ongoing discussion at rpg.net about the virtues and vices of Ducks.

You're welcome. That's why I wrote it up. So ... sixty views and only one comment so far. The rest of you prefer "The Haunting" as an introductory scenario?

http://catalog.chaosium.com/product_info.php?products_id=5105&osCsid=2rtvd92m0mimtlbnafm2rb5r30 "Murder in the Footlights" is a free introductory mini-scenario downloadable at Chaosium's website. Let me know what you think. Do these characters require stats? Are there enough redundant clues to meet the "Three Clue Rule"? What else would you add to make the scenario complete? Expansion for Troy Wilhelmson’s “Murder in the Footlights” The free mini-scenario “Murder in the Footlights” has a great villain and evocative set pieces for the final confrontation. I like the fact that although the antagonist is a mad stage magician, the adventure doesn’t require the supernatural or the Cthulhu Mythos to be effective. However, because of its brevity, it jumps immediately from the introduction to what would ordinarily be the final stage of the player-characters’ investigation. My goal in writing this expansion is to fill out the parts in between with clues, suspects, and necessary non-player characters. Author Troy Wilhemson provides an immediate hook by informing us that the missing girl, Rose Murphy, associated with “rather dubious men” – hence her politician father’s desire to keep the search for her a quiet, private one. NPCs and Clues Estelle Vaughn Miss Vaughn is Rose Murphy’s best friend. She went with her to the vaudeville theater twice before Miss Murphy’s disappearance and is sure that she was followed home the second time (she was, by The Great Raspini’s henchman, Otto). Fortunately, she ran into a beat cop. Estelle reports that Rose wanted to see The Great Raspini’s performance both times and found the man fascinating, although Estelle says Raspini struck her as “creepy.” Miss Vaughn turned down Rose’s invitation to attend a third performance with her. Estelle can tell the investigators the names of some of Rose Murphy’s disreputable beaus: Rex Stanton, actor; Mick Hanley, small-time hood; Brad Sedgewood, jazz musician; and Steve Franks, boxer. Rex Stanton A would-be actor and former college classmate of Miss Murphy, Rex Stanton dated Rose a few times, liked her a lot, but was told firmly that she didn’t want to get serious with anyone. He was also told to stay away from Rose by another beau, Mick Hanley, a minor member of one of Boston’s criminal gangs. “She really goes for the bad boys,” Stanton says wistfully. The fact that he couldn’t afford to take her to fancy places like the Hornbill Club probably didn’t help his chances, either. Stanton waits tables at The Golden Bun diner when he isn’t rehearsing with his acting troupe. They have performed at the vaudeville theater several times; Rose first went there to see him act in a show. He can tell PCs of the rumors that the theater’s prop room is haunted but he never saw anything strange going on himself. Mick Hanley Hanley grew up on the street and works for the Boss Flannery organization as a lookout and “collection agent.” He isn’t as tough or as important as he likes to pretend. Mick enjoys flashy clothes, flashy cars, and flashy girls. He was immediately attracted to Rose Murphy when he met her at the vaudeville theater and took her out to various speakeasies and jazz clubs after warning off Rex Stanton. He hangs out at Ace’s Pool Parlor and will resent PCs who ask too many questions, threatening to make them disappear, “like that crazy magician at the vaudeville theater.” He’ll talk, though, if they bribe him, call his bluff, or imply that police might suspect him in Miss Murphy’s disappearance. Mick Hanley took Rose Murphy to the Hornbill Club the night she disappeared. They had a fight and separated; Hanley is vague about the exact circumstances. “I suppose she went to see that stupid magic act again.” Brad Sedgewood Brad is a trumpet player at the Hornbill Club, a popular jazz restaurant that Rose Murphy frequented. He danced with her several times on occasions when she wasn’t escorted. “Rosie’s a sweet kid but a bit wild, “he says. “She’ll make some fellow a good wife when she settles down.” Two nights ago (the night Murphy disappeared), Sedgewood saw Rose come in with Hanley. When the latter became loud and disrespectful to her during dinner, Brad had the Hornbill Club bouncer toss Hanley out. Sedgewood offered to pay for her dinner and asked her to stay for the show. Rose thanked him but said, “no,” that she had someplace else to be. Eve Longstreet A dancer at the vaudeville theater, Longstreet came to know Rose Murphy casually because she was such a regular patron. She may show up at The Golden Bun or other locations the investigators might visit looking for Miss Murphy because she wants to pay back the $5 Rose had loaned her. Like Estelle Vaughn, Miss Longstreet can identify the men Murphy has been hanging out with recently. Longstreet reports that she, too, has been followed from the theater and once saw a tall, gaunt figure lurking in the shadows. She managed to catch a late cab to escape. Eve can tell the PCs of the haunted prop room. She reports that Rose seemed fascinated by the magician Raspini but she regards him as a lecher, since he always seems to be ogling young women in the audience. Steve Franks A rising professional boxer who works as a part-time bouncer at the Hornbill Club, Franks has dated Rose Murphy several times. She even attended one of his fights. He was only too happy to shove “that thug” Mick Hanley out the Hornbill Club’s door. He and Sedgewood have been friendly rivals for Rose’s attention. Franks reports he offered to take Miss Murphy home after the disturbance with Hanley or to call her a cab. She declined, saying she had somewhere else she could go. “Probably the vaudeville theater,” he says. "She practically lives there.”

Again, though, Fed-Ex/Kinkos will require you to get the author's signature on a form they provide before they will allow you to print a PDF. They will require this even if the PDF has three pages of disclaimers saying, "Yes, it is OK to print and copy this document for personal use!" If YOU are they author, they expect you to prove it. They questioned my mother about copying and enlarging an ink drawing I did.

Or you could borrow a page from the short-lived pulp adventure game DangerQuest: After a technological collapse (caused by terrorists) that prevented a high-tech Earth from blowing an approaching meteor out the sky, the 24rd century sees civilization worldwide about midway through recovery. But history is repeating itself. Isolationist Newmerica is battling gangsters and trying to rebuild its economy while a totalitarian regime threatens from Europe -- this time with actual, genetically modified super-soldiers. Robot gunslingers threaten settlers in the Central Plains. Swashbucklers, stage magicians with real powers and professional athletes battle villains in the East with flying cars and ray guns. Eldritch things are crawling out of the coastal ruins in the Northeast and the Gulf. Vice Vegas sits on the new West Coast, a lethal playground for gangsters and strong-jawed G-men. California is an island chain. And God only knows what's going on in South America, Asia, Africa, and the Mid-East. Mexico (controlled by neo-Aztec sorcerers) and Canada (controlled by loutish French-speaking terrorists) are both hostile powers, a closer threat than that Swiss tyrant. The game system is wonky -- you'd want to use something better -- but the setting and illustrations are gold.

In the U.S., Kinkos will give you fits about printing a PDF, even if it plainly reads "Permission granted to print and copy for personal use" on the cover page. Office Depot, however, is much more reasonable.

You also might want to take a peek at Mutant Future by Goblinoid Games. The no-art PDF is free. It is an emulation of Gamma World 1st edition. Androids included. RPGNow.com - The Leading Source for Indie RPGs

Wow! Sounds like a great adventure, and a great time for your players. So, will Our Heroes be invited to the wedding, after all?

Thanks for letting us know you are still slogging away. Your tome is highly anticipated.