Arkham on Fire

Cthulhu Dark In Progress

I was looking for a Lovecraftian mystery to play that I didn’t have to invent on the fly or worry how I was going to play without spoilers. Mystery games are the hardest to play solo, I think — well, those and horror games! — so there was never going to be a good answer. I turned to Night of the Zealot, the introductory campaign from the Arkham Horror Card Game for inspiration.

Episodes (5)

Part 1 — Up is Down, Left is Right

8 minute read The Gathering

Carolyn Fern’s house is the battleground between magic and monsters

Part 2 — Hunt for the Wolf Man

8 minute read The Midnight Masks

Carolyn and Lita begin their search for the cult followers of Umôrdhoth.

Part 3 — The Mask from the Mortuary

9 minute read The Midnight Masks

Carolyn and Lita head to the hospital mortuary to learn more about the bodies that may have been the subject of cannibal rites. Then a short visit to Velma’s diner for some sustenance.

Part 4 — A Letter from a Friend

8 minute read The Midnight Masks

Lita receives a letter linking the cult to the disappearance of her lover, the unnaturally talented Sefina Rousseau. Elsewhere, agents of the cult destroy the lives of anyone they cannot corrupt.

Part 5 — Visions at the Library

11 minute read The Midnight Masks

Carolyn and Lita consult with a librarian at the Miskatonic University and put more of the story together connecting the cannibalistic rites taking place in the outskirts of Arkham.

Strangers on a Misty Road

Trophy Gold In Progress

I dreamt up this opening encounter one night and had to decide what system I should use for the ensuing adventure. As I first imagined it this would be quite a creepy, Gothic atmosphere (maybe they were approaching the gates of Barovia) but sadly that disappeared as play continued.

Episodes (2)

Part 1 — The Huntsman's Manor

22 minute read The Huntsman's Manor

Two adventurers meet two runaways in the wilds, while travelling to loot the long-abandoned home of the hunter Marquess Niral.

Part 2 — The Huntsman's Manor

8 minute read The Huntsman's Manor

The remainder of the party chase Orlen into the overgrown maze, hoping to track him down before the hunting party get the scent of blood.

The Riches of the Cult of Rot

Trophy Dark Series Complete

Bevan the Red attempts to steal riches from a dangerous cult, because his previous money-making exercise ended up destroying a wizard’s tower and eradicating its existence from history.

Episodes (2)

Part 1 — Entering the house

10 minute read

Bevan follows up on rumours of riches being smuggled into town.

Part 2 — Exiting in a hurry

12 minute read

Bevan creeps through the ramshackle mansion in the dead of night.