A Call of Cthulhu campaign hot off the press, which is is neither intimidatingly long nor a short scenario and is set around Arkham. The Order of the Stone is stereotypically Call of Cthulhu.
The 152-page hardcover volume with a matt finish and blood-red ribbon marker is printed in full color and is a real pleasure to read. Once again, the difference between PDF and book becomes apparent. While the PDF version makes an impression with its extent, the book is simply a delight. You simply got to love books. Because they are more than just their content. It has something archaic, it’s an overall concept, a total work of art. Just like albums used to be albums were more than just the music they contained. It was a multimedia work of art … but that’s another story.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
The Order of the Stone
The Order of the Stone is three parts, one campaign. Works for up to six players in pulp mode or classic. The three parts are actually three acts, like a play. Pre-made characters are ready, six in number, but in duplicate. Classic 1920s Cthulhu and as pulp version
Full-page, color illustrations for the feeling. Clear maps and unfortunately not so nice house plans, but wonderful portraits of people make the book really valuable. This was announced for April 2024 and has now been available since September 25, 2024.
Story-wise, I always think Cthulhu is strong when it’s set in, on or near the sea. The sea is already creepy enough for us landlubbers. But with adventures like “The Lightless Beacon” and computer games like “The Sinking City”, they turn my Deep Ones Innsmouth dial up to ten. That’s why I also like the layout of The Order of the Stone. It begins on an abandoned ship that is reminiscent of the Titanic (if only because of the era). This is explored in the first part. The three-act structure builds up carefully, always steadily towards the climax.
The second chapter takes us to the fishing village of Greyport to get to know all the groups and cults involved.
In the third and final part, the story culminates as expected in a grand crescendo. Who the characters ally themselves with and how is decided by the player’s previous decisions and preferences.
In the end, however, the sea is not the focus, but merely the backdrop for the adventures, which could have been set elsewhere.
The blurb
In Ireland, a team of archaeologists comes across an ancient horror trapped in three stone vessels. The evil creature sends its followers on a journey to free it from its prison, crossing the Atlantic to New England and the backwoods of rural Massachusetts.
Many pages of material
The book doesn’t seem too thick. Just right for a small campaign. But the PDF version contains an incredible eight PDFs.
- Investigator Maps Handout Pack (26 pages of maps and handouts for game endings)
- Keeper Map Pack (12 pages of treacherous detailed maps for the game master)
- Investigators Pack (six ready-to-play characters in Cthulhu and Pulp Cthulhu versions)
- NPC Portrait Pack (33 full-color NPC portraits)
- Keeper Reference Book (All full of stats of enemies and monsters)
- Plain Text Pack (The handouts again as black and white text sheets)
- SS Champagne (A high-resolution ship map of the SS Champagne)
- The Order of the Stone Campaign (154 pages, introduction, campaign and appendices)
My essential Call of Cthulhu insight
The story doesn’t exactly blow me away; it’s not particularly surprising. Evil tongues could come up with the CoC scheme again and say “Call of Cthulhu is always the same”, which I tried to refute in the article of the same name.
The more I play Cthulhu (and that’s quite a lot by now), the more I realize that the solution is to play as a Ghostbusters-like fighting force or as heroes à la Indiana Jones. People who already know about the cosmic horrors and are now called upon to save the world. You don’t have to be so surprised or go crazy so quickly. On the contrary, the chars become more practiced in dealing with the abominations and arm themselves for the (admittedly unequal) battle. Hope, daring and pulp action are the solution to constantly surprised, unsuspecting, helpless and dying Investigators.
Conclusion
The Order of the Stone is well and clearly presented and beautiful to look at. It is more than an adventure, namely a small coherent campaign and less than a grand old one such as “Masks of Nyarlathotep”. It has few surprises in it, which many German adventures from Pegasus always manage to do, which means that sometimes it’s brilliant and sometimes it’s an attempt. Chaosium Inc. has not taken any risks with “The Order of the Stone”. This campaign risks nothing and is therefore a solid investment. However, it is unlikely to become legendary like many other Call of Cthulhu campaigns.
Call of Thulhu may become my new catchphrase for the game 😀