Trail of Cthulhu: Masks of Nyarlathotep – London – episode 8

chaosium_werewolf_by_stoudaa-d7r212oThe investigators decide to leave London for a spell and investigate a lead in the English countryside. Jackson Elias looked into strange deaths on the moors. The authorities believe the deaths to be simple animal killings, but no mere animal could inflict this kind of carnage. The Vane family, a minor aristocratic clan that lives in a castle, may somehow be connected to the case. You know what they say about exploring the moors at night, but what investigator can stay away?

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15 Comments

  1. That was an interesting episode. I liked how the investigators figured out a way to solve the problem of the typical “sinister country aristocrats” with empathy and respect rather than violence.

    I’m curious, Ross: Was this another special addition to the campaign? It seemed like the story was only tenuously connected to the main action of Masks, and I’m not quite sure what new info the investigators picked up that will help move them forward. It was a good adventure (I particularly think the fog attack on the train was an awesome set piece), but I think it could have been better as a standalone maybe.

  2. @Ethan: If memory serves, yes, this was another “bolted on” component of our adventures…although, Ross does try to tie back to it a few episodes later.

  3. Author

    A special thanks goes out to Adam Scott Glancy and the Masks Companion for helping me figure out how to tie this red herring scenario into the main campaign.

  4. I called it! But I will say, it seems to be nicely done.

  5. Those helmets that the police wear? They are called… police helmets (colloquially or custodian helmets formally, though I have never ever heard the formal name outside of museums).

  6. that’s funny–I remember when I tried listening to the unlistenably low-quality Yog-Sothoth version of this campaign they had a smoke monster, too. but I think it was in London, not out of town?

    and YES CLEARLY PATRICK WAS ALSO TRAINED BY RAIL ENGINEER JESUITS

  7. oh, wait, maybe not, they actually did Shadows of Yog-Sothoth so maybe that was where I heard it (I probably didn’t get this many episodes in in their Masks campaign…it was barely intelligible)

  8. Author

    Oh there is a fog monster in the London chapter of Masks. I didn’t make that shit up. I just had it attack in a different place than the city itself.

  9. I think their Masks campaign had the fog monster (which iirc they got terrorized by and then ignored and left to further terrorize London) and their Shadows of Yog-Sothoth campaign had a PC dying for no reason in a mine in rural England and that was how I got confused, not realizing it was a melange

  10. We don’t talk about her but then they talk about her? 😉
    As for Y.S.D.Cs Masks, the audio is not of great quality especially compared to more recent Podcasts but I found it perfectly fine to listen to.
    I do have a slight problem with this version of Masks and I’m not sure if its due to it being a Trail game or play style and its that’s the N.P.Cs reveal way to much information even if not really asked. I realise that’s just my opinion but I do find it jarring at times as it does seem to red flag things up a little to quickly.

    P.S Talking of beating a dead horse please no more Irish characters.

  11. Really loving this campaign. I don’t really know the source material but I’m definetly enjoying this.

  12. The connection between this scenario and the overall campaign works really well. The ambush at the end was also really well-done.

    Was anyone else expecting the characters to open the door and let Eliose run rampant on the estate? Or maybe I was just hoping because I did that once in a werewolf scenario . . . and my character died horribly. :\

  13. Yay, NPC interaction! Really solid play by the group.

  14. I have to ask, was the Vicar’s name a pre-generated part of the scenario or a Ross Payton outta-the-hat special? It’s weird hearing the name of an old friend popping up in an RPPR game is all. 😀

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