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One Starry Night--Tabletop RPG Review

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One Starry Night is a lightweight scenario for Cthulhu Live set in modern times, which can be run for Call of Cthulhu as well. It's a fairly short, simple scenario that takes little prep time when run for Call of Cthulhu. Of course, when running for Cthulhu Live, the live-action Cthulhu role-playing game, it takes quite a bit more preparation, including some costumes, props, and arrangements for locations. In either system, however, this is a relatively simple adventure to run. SPOILERS: As for the adventure itself, the general story is that a professor at Miskatonic University has had an artifact stolen from him. He's pretty sure that it was taken by a promising student who has suffered a mental breakdown. Concerned that the police won't know how to properly handle the artifact, he has turned to some friends (the players) to help him retrieve it. The student in question has taken the item, and is using it to summon an alien horror, that the players will have to contend with at the end of the adventure. This is farily typical stuff for a Call of Cthulhu scenario, and that makes it a great entry point to the game. There are only a few caveats with running this adventure. One is that this is a modern-day scenario, and many gamers like to play Call of Cthulhu set in the 1920s, and it is certainly possible to convert this to a 1920s scenario with a bit of work and possibly some research. For example, part of the adventure takes place in a storage unit, and the storage rental industry wasn't around in the 1920s. Game keepers who are sticklers for historical accuracy might have to get creative for this detail. There may be other possible anachronisms, but the book gives good tips on avoiding anachronisms in a number of places. As well, this scenario involves reasearching the ancient evil tome, the Necronomicon. This is one of the most powerful books in the Chthulhu mythos, so as a game keeper, you may wish to keep your players from delving too far into the book and learning some powerful spells beyond the scope of the adventure. Perhaps they'll want to keep their players from learning any magic in the short amount of time that this scenario takes place to keep things more in line with the rules for magic in the Call of Cthulhu core rulebook. Overall, the scenario in One Starry Night is a nice, brief, and easy to run adventure that can be wrapped up in a few hours. It is compelling enough to hook new players into the game and keep them interested. This book works great as a first adventure, an interlude in a longer running campaign, or even just a pick-up game.

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