Archaeologists have unearthed 3 stone urns in Eire that may unleash a monstrous power into the woods of Massachusetts until stopped. The Order of the Stone is a 3 half marketing campaign that may be performed with traditional Name of Cthulhu guidelines or Pulp Cthulhu guidelines and could be slotted into an current marketing campaign or be a beginning place for as much as 6 investigator characters.
Honest warning to Name of Cthulhu gamers, proceed no additional as there might be spoilers. At all times test together with your Keepers earlier than testing critiques for marketing campaign dietary supplements to be sure to gained’t make the most of them in your video games. This assessment will comprise spoilers.
Gameplay Overview:
This marketing campaign exists in three chapters, “Terror on the SS Champagne”, “Homicide in Greyport”, and “The Hunt” alongside three predominant factions, Agran’Talan’Tsoth, The Order of the Stone, and The Summoners.
Druids had summoned the creature Agran’Talan’Tsoth and realizing their mistake sure it into three separate containers and buried it. Sadly, it’s occurred upon by probability in a area by a younger boy and units the journey in movement. Archaeologist from Miskatonic College get entangled and the lead financier, Dr. Nicolus Sebastian, takes over the dig solely to be slowly influenced by the trapped creature. Finally taking the three “stones” with him he’s attacked aboard the SS Champagne by the Order of the Stone, hoping to maintain the monster from being launched. He totally succumbs to the whisperings of Agran and breaks the primary container on the ship totally releasing the primary essence of the creature. The creature kills nearly everybody on board whereas Dr. Sebastian escapes. Then enter the investigators after the harbor grasp haven’t heard from the SS Champagne as it’s adrift at sea.
In “Terror on the SS Champagne” investigators are thrust right into a “haunted home” investigation besides the haunted home is the deserted SS Champagne the place the passengers and crew have been sacrificed to satiate the starvation of Agran. Upon reaching the boat they discover one crazed cultist, one Order of the Stone member, and a really offended, very hungry monster. Investigators should set about exploring the ship and discovering out what occurred to the passengers and crew. As soon as they’ve met the monster then the should resolve what to do with the cruise liner. Hopefully ending the monster and escaping the cruise liner as totally different occasions occur.
In “Homicide in Greyport” the investigators are put into the occasions of a passenger’s homicide that was additionally aboard the SS Champagne. Little do they know that The Summoners are laying a lure figuring out that the Order of the Stone can also be attempting to cease them from unifying all three elements of the creature. This ends in the utilization of undead servants serving to The Summoners as they attempt to lure the Order of the Stone and by unlucky probability, the investigators.
The final chapter is “The Hunt”, and it’s the remaining showdown between the investigators and The Summoners. Contacts throughout the Order of the Stone will both assist or hinder the investigators as they collect the previous few items they want earlier than everything of Agran’Talan”Tsoth is unleashed. The Summoners have discovered a conversion of ley traces throughout the woods exterior of Arkham, and the Order of the Stone is conscious of their location as properly. All indicators level to the investigators having to intervene to cease the ultimate ritual by the sunshine of the total moon.
Sport Expertise:
The Order of the Stone scratches all of the itches {that a} marketing campaign of this size may have for any Keeper. It sits within the excellent spot as an introduction marketing campaign for brand spanking new gamers and a mini-campaign to problem veteran teams.
Chaosium at this level has homed in on the components that’s making the present Name of Cthulhu content material intuitive for Keepers in addition to riveting and enjoyable for teams. Choosing up this e book as a Keeper I knew precisely the place to seek out what I used to be on the lookout for, the place the NPC profiles have been, the place the tome stats have been, and I knew how every construction of the marketing campaign would type the skeleton for the center of the story to fill in. The consistency in structure (alongside fantastic artwork) is way appreciated and a big enchancment from the Chaosium books of outdated.
The construction of this story The Order of the Stone shines within the three-chapter construction. The monster having three jars it’s confined to, makes the rising sense of urgency shine. There may be all the pieces you want, two warring cults and a ravenous monster who’s slowly changing into stronger. It offers the investigators a number of methods to unravel the dilemma in every chapter permitting for some enjoyable flexibility in an in any other case linear story.
The maps are nice as properly. They’re clear and provides an incredible depiction of the environment and methods to make the most of them as a Keeper. I like the thought of exploring a largely deserted ship and this can be a nice twisting of “The Haunting” components that Keepers will know so properly.
There may be additionally the truth that we now have a recurring antagonist throughout the pages. Somebody that has been corrupted however not wholly deserted his humanity making the alternatives of the investigators much more fraught. The one trope I didn’t like was that The Summoners appear to evade the investigators every time they get shut, proper up till the tip of the marketing campaign.
Last Ideas:
That is the area of interest e book I didn’t know I wanted. As somebody who is continually working totally different teams of Name of Cthulhu, I may see this changing into my go-to marketing campaign to begin teams off with. It’s sophisticated sufficient to provide a problem and interconnected sufficient to interrupt in newer gamers to marketing campaign play. I plan to run this with my group with the Pulp Cthulhu ruleset to make the cult extra harmful and presumably make the Order of the Stone druids extra magical. On the price, the manufacturing worth is wonderful and I sit up for implementing this e book into my ongoing video games.
Last Rating: 5 Stars – An important smaller dimension marketing campaign excellent for newcomers and veterans alike.
Hits:
• Brief three-part construction.
• Constant structure and manufacturing high quality.
• Story supplies flexibility for participant selections.
• A number of shifting elements however not too many for gamers to really feel overwhelmed.
Misses:
• Some minor tropes that may be predicted.
