Doors To Darkness

Billed as a book of one-shots for new Keepers, Doors to darkness contains 5 short scenarios for Call of Cthulhu, covering a range of themes in a mere 142 pages.

But let’s get one thing straight, if these are one-shots, they’re long ones: each scenario is around 20 pages. If you and your players can get through that much material in a 4-hour session, more power to you. I’ve done it but I had to cut stuff out and push the story along. I’ve also run in a slower, more investigative style and had a scenario last 3 sessions. All that is to say there’s more than meets the eye in this humble collection of scenarios.

The whole thing kicks off with a short section on playing and running Call of Cthulhu. It covers the basics of playing and running the game, but even seasoned Keepers should find something of value. For example, historical texts in languages nobody understands make great handouts. Print one out, make some stuff up and your players imaginations will do the rest.

The scenarios begin with The Darkness Beneath the Hill. It’s basically a rescue mission-come-dungeon crawl, but a very creepy one. The overall tone is quite pulpy: there are degenerate humans, Ghasts, egg-sacs, and a Serpent Person Scientist experimenting on poor unfortunate humans. There’s also a magic portal which could come in very handy for an imaginative Keeper. Indiana Jones vibes aside, this scenario is more about survival horror: think of movies like The Descent where, one by one, the protagonists are dragged off into the darkness and eaten alive. This is definitely one scenario to play at night.

Next up is Genius Loci, where the players unfortunate friend Larry is being held against his will in a mental asylum. Leaning more into psychological horror, it nevertheless has a very good investigative base which would need to be cut down to fit it into a single session (in my personal opinion). Luckily it can also be run as a heist, with Larry being the loot. If the players do actually get into the mystery a bit, there’s loads of psychological horror and a satisfyingly creepy confrontation with a ritualistic orgy of violence. The scenario is inspired by the film Session 9, and is set in the historical Danvers state hospital. Both are horrific in their own way, and a bit of research on either ought to yield some nice ideas for your game. There’s also the added bonus of an excellent human villain and an eldritch entity that could both come in handy in later games.

The third offering is Servants of the Lake, a straightforward small-town American horror story. Someone’s gone missing on the drive from Arkham to Boston, and they probably stayed in a little ol’ cowpoke motel in the middle of nowhere, next to a lake with no fish (hint: there’s a reason there are no fish in the lake). This scenario is more location- and NPC-based, requiring investigators to talk to various characters and explore the area without arousing suspicion or getting themselves killed. It serves as a good introduction to the game, or as a lighter session for more experienced players, but it does have rather a deadly threat that Keepers may want to keep newbies away to avoid the dreaded newbie TPK. I found this scenario to be the least interesting of the lot, but new players seem to enjoy it.

Second to last is Ties That Bind: the players investigate a case of vandalism at the mansion of a local well-to-do Arkham citizen. It has a good mix of urban investigation and rural exploration, and runs to a ticking clock, where events happen at particular times. If the investigators are smart and figure out the mystery well enough, all will be well. If, on the other hand, they are gung-ho types, things could get very messy indeed.

The final scenario is None More Black, a gritty urban story set in the mean streets of the Arkham University precinct. Students have been dropping like flies, and there’s a new drug on the streets. Someone’s making a lot of money, and they don’t care who gets hurt. There’s a bit more to it than that, but you get the idea. This scenario has a nice, survivable combat at the end, and would suit newer players. Include the optional, very scary, monster in the final confrontation and the combat becomes deadly.

The strength of this scenario collection is in its flexibility. First, the scenarios are medium-length, meaning that you can run them as one-shots, or take a more leisurely pace and complete them in 2 or even 3 four-hour sessions. They’re all set in Lovecraft Country but can be moved to another location or even setting with zero fuss: pretty handy to stick in anywhere for a change of pace in a longer campaign! They’re also written for new Keepers, so include advice and suggestions on how to adapt the scenarios to your players and even to what’s happening at the table (within reason). In addition, the advice chapter encourages GM flexibility with the sage advice ‘know when to keep to the rules, and when to break them’.

There are plenty of other big-ticket scenario collections out there that get a lot of praise, and deservedly so. But let’s not neglect the oft-overlooked Doors to Darkness and remember why it’s beloved of new and seasoned Keepers alike: it’s so damn useful.

Get it from Chaosium: Doors to Darkness

Looking for some harder horror? Check out Nameless Horrors, Blackwater Creek or Fairyland.

Here’s some more useful stuff: Keeper reference sheets! They’re pretty handy to use in-game: