The Children of Fear (leatherette) (PDF only) for Call of Cthulhu (PDF) ranges across 1920s Asia, spreading the fear and horror of the Mythos or the occult through multiple countries. The investigators (or heroes) decide the path their journey will take as they battle to stop the King of Fear from destroying everything they care about.
The adventure is inspired by the journey of Hieuen-Tsiang in the Chinese novel Journey to the West. It can be played with core Call of Cthulhu (PDF) (review) rules or with Pulp Cthulhu (PDF) (review). Six pregenerated characters have optional Pulp stats. Chaosium was kind enough to send me a print copy to help in the review which I appreciate as the PDF I purchased cannot capture the quality and beauty of the book itself in physical form.
Spanning eight chapters, the adventure cannot be fully explored in this short review. Instead, I’m going to touch on three aspects: the travel, tools to make the adventure the Keeper’s own, and the Mythos/occult elements.
PCs travel to Peking, Tun-Huang, and Taklamaka in China; Gandhara and Sitavana in India; Dirge and Pemakö in Tibet; and to Nalanda, Patna, and Assam in India. A series of handouts help the players learn what their investigators know. An entire appendix is devoted to travel. There may also be extradimensional or extraplanetary travel depending on the Keeper. Detailed maps of the routes help the Keeper track the adventure and the investigators have plenty of options of which way to go along the way. A suggested list of skills is included for groups using their own characters. Language is discussed as well.
A large number of optional encounters are included to help the Keeper add to the campaign if she wishes. An overview, sidebars, and careful set up of the chapters helps the Keeper keep track of the action and travel. The Keeper also gets to decide the location of the city from which the King of Fear rules. This choice also helps the Keeper decide the exact nature of the King of Fear and what Mythos being it is or if it isn’t a Mythos being at all (purely occult). There is a list of new spells. Both Keepers and players are given a list of resources to consult if they want to enhance game play. Finally, the writer has a series of blog posts about how to run the adventure:
The Children of Fear (leatherette) (PDF only) promises a multi-part player led campaign journey through parts of Asia that scales from occult level threat all the way up to the Outer Gods. The adventure delivers on all of its promises and offers the best of what Call of Cthulhu (PDF) has to offer: historical accuracy, world travel, monstrous foes, cults, grounded reasons for investigators to go on supernatural adventures, and plenty of Keeper and investigator/hero support. Chaosium goes a bit further with Lynne Hardy writing blog posts to help Keepers both new and experienced. In addition, the book contains evocative art, descriptive detailed maps, a snazzy silk ribbon, and a great use of graphics and layout to make it easier to use. Highly recommended.
The adventure is inspired by the journey of Hieuen-Tsiang in the Chinese novel Journey to the West. It can be played with core Call of Cthulhu (PDF) (review) rules or with Pulp Cthulhu (PDF) (review). Six pregenerated characters have optional Pulp stats. Chaosium was kind enough to send me a print copy to help in the review which I appreciate as the PDF I purchased cannot capture the quality and beauty of the book itself in physical form.
Spanning eight chapters, the adventure cannot be fully explored in this short review. Instead, I’m going to touch on three aspects: the travel, tools to make the adventure the Keeper’s own, and the Mythos/occult elements.
PCs travel to Peking, Tun-Huang, and Taklamaka in China; Gandhara and Sitavana in India; Dirge and Pemakö in Tibet; and to Nalanda, Patna, and Assam in India. A series of handouts help the players learn what their investigators know. An entire appendix is devoted to travel. There may also be extradimensional or extraplanetary travel depending on the Keeper. Detailed maps of the routes help the Keeper track the adventure and the investigators have plenty of options of which way to go along the way. A suggested list of skills is included for groups using their own characters. Language is discussed as well.
A large number of optional encounters are included to help the Keeper add to the campaign if she wishes. An overview, sidebars, and careful set up of the chapters helps the Keeper keep track of the action and travel. The Keeper also gets to decide the location of the city from which the King of Fear rules. This choice also helps the Keeper decide the exact nature of the King of Fear and what Mythos being it is or if it isn’t a Mythos being at all (purely occult). There is a list of new spells. Both Keepers and players are given a list of resources to consult if they want to enhance game play. Finally, the writer has a series of blog posts about how to run the adventure:
- Part One: "Is this campaign just for experienced Keepers" (answer: No)
- Part Two: First Things First
- Part Three: Session Zero and Tools for a Safe Gaming Table
- Part Four: Getting on with the campaign and Session Goals
- Part Five: Have Maps and Handouts Handy
The adventure’s main antagonists include The Tokabhaya: the cult of the Children of Fear; The Triumvirate: the ruling council of the Tokabhaya and corrupt humans who host the memories of the original alien Triumvirate and all their successors; and The Lords of Shambhala: the regents of Agartha’s opposing kingdom, who rule in the Kulika King’s stead until he comes into his majority. This trio of evil doers will vex the investigators throughout their travels through Asia not just with physical threat but also with manipulation and deceit. The villains are complex with powerful motives and an intricate plan the PCs will have to work to unravel.
If monsters are your jam, the adventure delivers on those too. Rat-men, ghouls, demons, skeletons, mi-go, white apes, and more will challenge the investigators. Most of these monsters are not Mythos specific, making it easier to tailor the adventure in an occult direction instead of a Mythos specific set up. For Pulp heroes in particular, mi-gos armed with matter-dissolving horns and lightening guns could be an exciting challenge to overcome. The horn burns and twists flesh as well as inflicting Sanity loss through unearthly wailing.
If monsters are your jam, the adventure delivers on those too. Rat-men, ghouls, demons, skeletons, mi-go, white apes, and more will challenge the investigators. Most of these monsters are not Mythos specific, making it easier to tailor the adventure in an occult direction instead of a Mythos specific set up. For Pulp heroes in particular, mi-gos armed with matter-dissolving horns and lightening guns could be an exciting challenge to overcome. The horn burns and twists flesh as well as inflicting Sanity loss through unearthly wailing.
The Children of Fear (leatherette) (PDF only) promises a multi-part player led campaign journey through parts of Asia that scales from occult level threat all the way up to the Outer Gods. The adventure delivers on all of its promises and offers the best of what Call of Cthulhu (PDF) has to offer: historical accuracy, world travel, monstrous foes, cults, grounded reasons for investigators to go on supernatural adventures, and plenty of Keeper and investigator/hero support. Chaosium goes a bit further with Lynne Hardy writing blog posts to help Keepers both new and experienced. In addition, the book contains evocative art, descriptive detailed maps, a snazzy silk ribbon, and a great use of graphics and layout to make it easier to use. Highly recommended.
